Memories of Death
by GuEsS'-'FrEdDo'-'WhO
Summary: Serena thinks she is an average teenager but, NEWSFLASH! she's not she can see ghosts, but will this be a ghost she cant help?
1. Chapter 1

_Memories of Death_

_A pale hand reached towards me, pleading, calling. I tried to answer, tried to help her, but her milky face was washed away, hidden by the fog.__  
__"No!" I screamed, reaching through the dark.___

_I rolled over, moonlight showering through my window. I closed my eyes, trying to erase the woman's pain from my mind, but still her {blood-covered} face swam before mine, her black hair limp, her eyes bleak and empty of hope. The blood-stain over her heart, dripping. Shivering, I pulled my dressing gown around me and sat up. Careful not to look in my mirror, I padded downstairs.___

_Sitting at the kitchen table, orange light surrounding me, it was easy to forget how scared I had been only moments before. Pouring myself a glass of milk, I tried to slow my heartbeat. The cool sweetness of the milk running down my throat relaxed me. Glancing at my glass, I was horrified to see a {blood-covered} face reflected in its shine.__  
__I paled upon hearing her voice, calling, "Serena, Serena! Serena, please help me!" My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, and I sat, stunned. "Serena, please! I need your help!" I gaped at her disfigured face.__  
__Suddenly, a voice burst the bubble. "Reeny? Are you okay?" I turned to see Tamara, my twin, standing at the end of the table.__  
__"Oh Mara, I had another one of those dreams!" Instantly she was by my side, stroking my hand.__  
__"Want to talk about it?" she asked.__  
__I took a deep breath. "There was a lady, wearing a ... a white dress. She had pale, pale skin and long black hair. Her face was scratched and covered in blood, and she had a big... a bloodstain on her chest, over her heart. It... Oh Mara, it was awful!" I whimpered, burying my face in her shoulder.__  
__"Reeny, that's terrible! Did she talk to you?"__  
__I lifted my head. "She... she called to me, asking for help. And... just now, I saw her. I saw her reflection behind mine, in my glass. She said she needed my help. She asked me, and I just sat there!" I cried. Tamara gave me a quick hug and pulled me to my feet.__  
__"Come on, let's go back to bed." She took my hand and we walked up the stairs. Involuntarily, I glanced in my mirror.__  
__I gasped, "Mara... Oh Mara, it's her!" Mara looked into the mirror, but I could tell she couldn't see her. I pointed, "She's right there, next to my teddy." We glanced in that direction, but saw nothing. Suddenly I froze. "She's talking to me," I whispered.__  
__"What's she saying?" Mara urged.__  
__"Um... Serena, I need you to help me," I repeated. "Uh... okay, I'll help you. Please, who are you?" I clutched at Tamara's hand wildly. The woman in the mirror smiled. "Ah, you listen. My name is Christine. I was murdered, murdered by my own mother. I need you to help me avenge my death, find out why she killed me." Tamara's eyes widened as I relayed that sentence. I nodded, staring into her pale, hopeless eyes. "I... I was born in 1874. I think I... I died in 1890. Please, help-" I cut myself off, watching in awe as she disappeared.__  
__"Reeny? What happened?" Tamara touched my shoulder.__  
__"She left," I said simply. My sister stroked my cheek.__  
__"Well done," she whispered. "Come on." We crawled into bed, fingertips touching. I closed my eyes, finally feeling at peace._  
_The sun peeked through my curtains as I rolled out of bed. Mara's side was already made up, and I could smell pancakes cooking downstairs. "Mmm..." I pulled my hairbrush through my frizzy, long brown hair and surveyed my wardrobe. "Hm," I considered wearing a navy skirt with my white blouse, but decided against it. "I want to be bright!" I declared to no one in particular. I pulled on a floor length rainbow skirt of Tamara's and a white t-shirt with a smiling sun on it. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and snapped in a smiley face clip. I glanced warily in the mirror. Seeing no massacred body, I took a look at my outfit appraisingly in the mirror. "Not bad," I muttered. Skipping down the hall, I knocked on my parents' door and went to wake up my baby brother. Peeking through the door, I could see Bradley jumping up and down in his crib. "Hey Bradley," I called, opening the curtains.__  
__"Weena!" he called excitedly.__  
__I smiled. "Come on, let's go wake up Samuel." I changed Bradley's diaper and took him to Samuel's door. Finding the handle in amongst all the "Do Not Enter" signs, I opened the door. Putting Bradley on the stomach of my brother, I stifled a giggle as Bradley patted Sam's face.__  
__"Where Sam?" Brad asked me. Suddenly Sam woke up, and was about to yelled at me when Brad cried, "Sam wake!" and hugged his face. I burst out laughing and luckily Sam did too.__  
__"Get up lazybones," I scolded, taking Brad downstairs._  
_"These taste great Mara," I complimented, digging into the pancakes. Tamara grinned.__  
__"Thanks Reeny. You look great today; that skirt really suits you," she replied.__  
__I laughed, "Hah, maybe I'll steal it." We both started laughing when Dad walked in.__  
__"Hey girls. Sleep well?"__  
__Tamara and I exchanged looks and said, "Yeah." I pushed my chair back and took my plate to the sink. "Want me to pack your lunch Mara?" She nodded, her mouth full of pancake. I chuckled and filled two paper bags with snacks. "I'm going to go early today, I have to go to the library," I winked at Mara. "I'll catch the early bus."_


	2. Chapter 2

_I clicked on the internet icon on the library computer. Selecting a search engine, I typed in, _"Birth and Death Records, 1874 - 1890"_. A list came up and I selected the most recommended site. _"Christine, 1874 - 1890"_ I typed. A list of names came up, when I saw one reading, _"Christine Black, 1874 - 1892. Brutally murdered..."_. .Excitedly, I clicked that, when the bell rang. Gritting my teeth, I printed the article and headed to class.__  
__I scanned over the math paper. A few fractions, some multiplication and algebra. Simple. I caught Mara's eye and winked. She grinned and bent her head.__  
__Ten minutes later, I handed my test up to Mr. Banner and pulled the article out of my bag.__  
_"Christine Black, born in 1874 to Alex and Laura Black. Sister to Tom, Jane, Ally, Alexa, Charles and Jeff. Lived on Cherry Woods Farm with three of her siblings. At the age of 17 and 2 months, she fell pregnant to Jake Theodore, who at the time was betrothed to Kim Goldburg. Jake was sent to the Carlington Jail for eight years on the charge of sleeping with someone other than his betrothed. Christine's mother was seen to whip Christine and lock her in the cellar. One month after Christine's child, Mary Jane, was born, Christine disappeared. Her sister Jane found her in the cellar two months later, brutally murdered at the age of eighteen. The murderer was not found, and her daughter Mary Jane was adopted by Christine's sister Alexa."  
_I frowned, and glanced at Mara. I scribbled a note, _"I know what happened to Christine. I found an article. I'll tell you at recess."_ I caught her eye and bent to pick up my pencil, dropping the note as I did so. I watched her read it, and she raised her eyebrows to me. She passed me a note. _"How on earth are you going to help her just because you know how she died?"_ I shrugged, pulling out my music homework and getting to work.__  
__I waited impatiently for Tamara outside the classroom. At last she came out, her face flushed. "So? What happened?" I passed her the article. "And you think -?"__  
__I rolled my eyes at her. "I think it was the mother's fault."__  
__She nodded. "Oh. And how will this help her?"__  
__I shrugged again. "Let's go find out." I took her by the hand and ran to the unused girls bathroom.__  
__Tamara grimaced. "Gross! This place stinks."__  
__I rolled my eyes again and looked into a mirror. "Christine!" I called. "Christine, I think I can help you!" Next to my reflection, I could see a ghoulish white mist. Behind the mist I could make out Christine's hopeful face.__  
__"Serena... Thank you... What have you learned?"__  
__I looked directly at Christine's face. "Your name was Christine Black. Your parents were Alex and Laura, and you had six brothers and sisters. When you were seventeen you fell pregnant to Jake Theodore, and when you were eighteen, you had a baby girl, Mary Jane. But when you were pregnant, Jake went to jail because he was betrothed to Kim Goldburg." I saw remembrance dawning on her face.__  
__"I... I recall... But, how did I die?" Her face was puzzled.__  
__I continued, "One month after Mary Jane was born, you disappeared. Two months after you disappeared, your sister found you locked in the cellar, dead." Christine's eyes widened. "Christine, while you were pregnant, your mother locked you in the cellar and whipped you, didn't she?" The ghostly face became more clear.__  
__"Yes... Yes, she was not happy with me. She thought... thought my falling pregnant was my fault. But Jake said he had broken up with Kim, said he would marry me. I saw him break up with Kim, but she didn't accept it. My... my mother was cruel, but always protected the baby. When Mary Jane was born, mother was... worse to me. The day I... the day I died, mother locked me in the cellar. She told me... told me she never wanted me, said that no one loved me. She... she had a knife. She hit me over the head, and I fainted... The next thing I knew, I was... I was dead. I felt... drawn... to you. I knew you could help me; I don't know how I knew." She looked at me pleadingly.__  
__I frowned. "But... then how can I help you?" Christine sighed, and blew back into the fog.__  
__"Reeny?" Tamara spoke up. I turned. "Come on, let's go. I'll tell you when we're away from the mirrors."_  
_I bit into an apple. "I still don't get how I have to help her Mara! I mean, her mum's dead, and her daughter... It was over 100 years ago!" I complained.__  
__Mara grinned. "Maybe someone had a diary? Um... You could try and find out where Cherry Woods Farm was. It has to be near Carlington, because that's where Jake went to jail. Hey! Maybe you could check out the jail records. They might have information on her."__  
__I laughed. "Tamara, you are full of ideas! I'll go to the library later, have a look on the internet. The library might have some books on her."__  
__Tamara smiled. "See? You have ideas too. Anyway, I'm going to find Kelly and Celia."__  
__I nodded. "Kay." She waved and trotted off. I threw my apple in the bin and sat at a table.__  
__"Hi Serena." I looked up to see Jeff Perkinson next to me. He flashed a smile at me.__  
__"Hey Jeff," I smiled back, but I'm sure it looked like a grimace. "Have a seat." I gestured towards the empty chairs. In a flash, Jeff was sitting next to me.__  
__"So, Serena, How's things?" Well what do I say to that? Oh, fine, just seeing ghosts in mirrors?__  
__"Uh... good. You?"__  
__Jeff grinned again. "Oh, great! Dad just bought me a new phone and Mum extended how long I can stay out of a night!"__  
__I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Good for you Jeff." I replied. Why is he talking to me?! Jeff fell silent, probably discouraged by my obvious unwillingness to talk.__  
__"Uh... So what are you going to do this weekend?" I bit my lip. Oh, just research how a 100 year old ghost died?__  
__"Er... homework, and... stuff." Jeff nodded slowly. I think he was expecting me to ask what he was doing.__  
__He sighed and stood up. "Well, I'd better go. I should start on my English assignment." He paused. I raised my eyebrows.__  
__"Bye," I said pointedly. Jeff walked away and I sighed in relief. Gosh he is annoying! Thankfully, the bell went, and I headed to my history class._  
_Mr Mercher glared down his nose at me. "Where is your assignment, Serena?"__  
__I stared right back up at him. "My brother drew on it, so I have to rewrite it."__  
__Mr Mercher's eyes widened. "That's no excuse!" I groaned. "To the principal's office now, Serena!" I sighed and stood up. He passed me a note and I walked to the door. Tamara shot me a smile and I grimaced.__  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_I closed the book slowly. So it was the mother. My brows furrowed in thought. So... she killed her because she was angry with her?? I shook my head and went to find Jeff.  
"Oh, hey Serena! How's this poem??" I scanned over it.  
"Jeff, this sucks." I said bluntly. His face fell. "There's no poetic techniques and the lines are uneven. You need roughly the same amount of syllables in each line too. Work on it some more, okay?" Jeff nodded glumly. I smiled thinly and logged onto a computer, away from Jeff. Logging into the last search engine I was in, I typed in, "Cherry Woods Farm". Scrolling down, I found an article titled, "Cherry Woods Farm - Location of Carlington's Murder Mystery." My eyes wide, I selected that. Suddenly, the computer froze and went black. Christine's face appeared, clean and fresh. "Serena - thank you. You found out what happened to me. Tell me, please!" I sat back and took a deep breath.  
"I found a confession from your mother. She just felt terrible that you had ruined her family name, she was so angry with you. After she... after she killed you, she felt so guilty and upset, she wrote the confession. She didn't know why she did it; she was truly sorry." Christine nodded sadly, a tear trickling down her face.  
"Thank you Serena. I can go now, go to meet my parents and sisters in heaven." Her ghostly face melted before mine. My eyes widened as my screen turned on to show a beautiful document reading,  
_"To my dear Serena -  
Thank you for freeing me from my earthly prison. I will be eternally grateful to you and your sister. I thank you again with all my heart.  
Christine Black."_  
A small smile erupted on my face. "Are you okay Serena? Can you check over my poem again? Serena? He-lloooo?!" Jeff waved his hand in front of m face. I shook my head and took another look at the computer. To my surprise, the document had disappeared.  
"Mum! I'm home! Hello? Mum!" I walked in my front door to hear only Bradley crying. Brows furrowed, I grabbed Brad from his high-chair in the kitchen. "What's the matter Bradley?" He wiped his eyes with his chubby hands and wailed,  
"Mum-MEEEEEEE!!!" I gave him a hug.  
"What happened to mummy?" Bradley just whimpered and buried his face in my hair. I patted his back gently and wandered into the lounge-room.  
"Aaaaugh!!" My scream rang through the house. I don't know whether the ringing in my ears is an echo or that I'm still screaming. I fell to the floor, running my fingers along my mother's lifeless cheek. Crying out, I buried my shoulder on Brad's shoulder, sobbing.  
I don't know how long we'd been sitting there, but I was aroused by Tamara waltzing through the door as I had not long before. I croaked out, "Mara, in here!" Mara must have sensed the pain in voice because she yelled out,  
"Reeny! Reeny, what's -" She broke off with a gasp. Her eyes widening, she stared at Mum's lifeless body. I looked up at her and she choked back a sob. Grabbing Bradley, she rushed upstairs blindly. Numbly, I sat next to mum, surrounded by a pool of blood. I went to kiss her cheek when I noticed something. Mum's hair! It was cut off! Running my fingers through the stubble left on her head, I looked at mum's face again. Took in the bruised forehead, the smiling face cut cruelly on her cheek. I bit my lip as I watched blood trickle from what used to be her lip, gazed into what was previously her eyes. My gaze flickered down to her chest, where a knife protruded from her heart. Numbly, I looked up as Tamara came down the stairs. "Brad's in bed." Her eyes red, she looked sadly at me.  
"Mara, call the police and report a murder. I'll call Dad and wait for Sam." Taking charge of the situation, I fished my cheap phone out of my bag and dialled Dad's number. Going to the front steps, I waited for Dad to pick up. "Hello, you've reached Kevin Sutherland's phone. I'm busy at the moment, please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you ASAP." I groaned inwardly. "Daddy, something bad has happened. Please, call me back quickly We need you to come home." Hanging up, I looked down the street to see Sam walking with his mates, hand-balling a footy between them. I stood up, waving to Sam. I beckoned him over urgently. Sam took his time saying goodbye to his mates and meandered over.  
"Whaddaya want?" he asked impatiently. I felt like strangling him but instead I wordlessly led him inside. Upon seeing mum he let out a strangle cry and fell to his knees. "Who did this?!" he yelled, looking at me with burning eyes. I held up my hands in protest.  
"Don't look at me! I don't know. I..." I broke off, my throat clogged with tears. Spinning on my heel, I flounced outside and sat on the curb. "Zingg! Zingg!" my phone bleeped from my pocket. Flipping it open, I noted the caller: Dad. "Dad, hi. I -"  
"Rena, why did you ring? You know you can't ring unless it's an emergency!"  
"Dad, it is! I -"  
"Rena, come on. Couldn't it wait?"  
"No Dad! It's -"  
"Rena, I have to go. I have -"  
"Dad, mum's dead!" I finally screamed bluntly. Dad was silent, then,  
"What?" he whispered.  
"Dead. Murdered." I repeated. Dad fumbled with his phone, dropped it, picked it up again, and said,  
"What?! Uh, I mean, um... Oh, far out.. Rena, I'm coming home right away."  
"Okay Dad," I muttered. I could feel tears threatening to burst and blinked them back. Suddenly a police car pulled up and two policemen jumped out, accompanied by two FBI agents.  
"You reported a murder?" The big burly police officer glared at me. Afraid my voice would betray me, I nodded, and stood up. Sniffling, I lead the angry looking policemen into the lounge. Policeman number two began interviewing Tamara and Samuel.  
Hours passed by, but eventually the short FBI lady said, "Time of death: 10.00AM. Cause of death: Knife through heart. Injuries sustained did not affect the time of death." I rolled my eyes. Of course she died because of the knife through her heart!  
"RENA!!!!!" I turned to see my father shoving his way through the door. "If this is a joke, you're grounded for - Ohh... Kelly!!!" Dad fainted in the doorway in a big heap.  
"Ugh..." I groaned. Bending over I shook dad's shoulder. "Helloooo?? Da-ad? Wake up... WAKE UP DAD!" I yelled in frustration. Dad's eyes flickered.  
"Kelly? Oh, Rena. Rena, I had such a terrible dream! I dreamed that... Kelly... Kelly!!" he gradually came back into consciousness. Heaving himself up, he ran to mum's corpse, which was being lifted onto a stretcher after being photographed. "No..." he moaned. The two police turned to me.  
"Serena, you were the first home, weren't you?" I nodded. "And how did you find your mother?" I looked the man questioning me in the eye.  
"Bradley, my baby brother, was wailing that something had happened to mum, so I looked around. I saw Mum on the floor and I sat with her." The officer wrote everything down.  
"Did you touch her? We found your fingerprints on the knife and the earrings." I frowned.  
"The earrings are mine, she borrowed them. And I touched the knife when looking at her, trying to see why she was killed." I began to cry. "She was turning 45 next week!" The policeman awkwardly patted my back.  
"Okay, just one more question. Do you know anyone who had a grudge or a reason to kill your mother? Or have you seen anyone suspicious around recently?" I shook my head, dabbing my eye with a tissue.  
"Everyone loved her, she had so many friends. And I haven't seen anyone around here at all!" Mara stepped over and put her arm around my shoulder.  
"Any more questions officer?" He shook his head and left. Mara and I stood still, staring at the ruins in our lounge-room, at our weeping brother, at our distraught father._  
_I sat numbly on the floor in my mother's study. Holding her jacket against my face, I inhaled. Mum's musky smell, scented with lavender, filled my nostrils. My eyes were dry, I had cried all my tears.__  
__"Serena?" Dad's voice floated in the door. Sighing, I walked into his arms, and he wrapped me in a big bear hug.__  
__Pulling away, I stroked Dad's stubbly chin. "I'm gonna go to bed now. Night Dad." I pulled myself up the stairs and into my room. On my nightstand, a framed picture of Mum, Tamara and I smiled up at me. Angrily, I slammed it down. The glass shattered, and I threw myself onto my bed, sobbing dry sobs.__  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_I closed the book slowly. So it was the mother. My brows furrowed in thought. So... she killed her because she was angry with her?? I shook my head and went to find Jeff.  
"Oh, hey Serena! How's this poem??" I scanned over it.  
"Jeff, this sucks." I said bluntly. His face fell. "There's no poetic techniques and the lines are uneven. You need roughly the same amount of syllables in each line too. Work on it some more, okay?" Jeff nodded glumly. I smiled thinly and logged onto a computer, away from Jeff. Logging into the last search engine I was in, I typed in, "Cherry Woods Farm". Scrolling down, I found an article titled, "Cherry Woods Farm - Location of Carlington's Murder Mystery." My eyes wide, I selected that. Suddenly, the computer froze and went black. Christine's face appeared, clean and fresh. "Serena - thank you. You found out what happened to me. Tell me, please!" I sat back and took a deep breath.  
"I found a confession from your mother. She just felt terrible that you had ruined her family name, she was so angry with you. After she... after she killed you, she felt so guilty and upset, she wrote the confession. She didn't know why she did it; she was truly sorry." Christine nodded sadly, a tear trickling down her face.  
"Thank you Serena. I can go now, go to meet my parents and sisters in heaven." Her ghostly face melted before mine. My eyes widened as my screen turned on to show a beautiful document reading,  
_"To my dear Serena -  
Thank you for freeing me from my earthly prison. I will be eternally grateful to you and your sister. I thank you again with all my heart.  
Christine Black."_  
A small smile erupted on my face. "Are you okay Serena? Can you check over my poem again? Serena? He-lloooo?!" Jeff waved his hand in front of m face. I shook my head and took another look at the computer. To my surprise, the document had disappeared.  
"Mum! I'm home! Hello? Mum!" I walked in my front door to hear only Bradley crying. Brows furrowed, I grabbed Brad from his high-chair in the kitchen. "What's the matter Bradley?" He wiped his eyes with his chubby hands and wailed,  
"Mum-MEEEEEEE!!!" I gave him a hug.  
"What happened to mummy?" Bradley just whimpered and buried his face in my hair. I patted his back gently and wandered into the lounge-room.  
"Aaaaugh!!" My scream rang through the house. I don't know whether the ringing in my ears is an echo or that I'm still screaming. I fell to the floor, running my fingers along my mother's lifeless cheek. Crying out, I buried my shoulder on Brad's shoulder, sobbing.  
I don't know how long we'd been sitting there, but I was aroused by Tamara waltzing through the door as I had not long before. I croaked out, "Mara, in here!" Mara must have sensed the pain in voice because she yelled out,  
"Reeny! Reeny, what's -" She broke off with a gasp. Her eyes widening, she stared at Mum's lifeless body. I looked up at her and she choked back a sob. Grabbing Bradley, she rushed upstairs blindly. Numbly, I sat next to mum, surrounded by a pool of blood. I went to kiss her cheek when I noticed something. Mum's hair! It was cut off! Running my fingers through the stubble left on her head, I looked at mum's face again. Took in the bruised forehead, the smiling face cut cruelly on her cheek. I bit my lip as I watched blood trickle from what used to be her lip, gazed into what was previously her eyes. My gaze flickered down to her chest, where a knife protruded from her heart. Numbly, I looked up as Tamara came down the stairs. "Brad's in bed." Her eyes red, she looked sadly at me.  
"Mara, call the police and report a murder. I'll call Dad and wait for Sam." Taking charge of the situation, I fished my cheap phone out of my bag and dialled Dad's number. Going to the front steps, I waited for Dad to pick up. "Hello, you've reached Kevin Sutherland's phone. I'm busy at the moment, please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you ASAP." I groaned inwardly. "Daddy, something bad has happened. Please, call me back quickly We need you to come home." Hanging up, I looked down the street to see Sam walking with his mates, hand-balling a footy between them. I stood up, waving to Sam. I beckoned him over urgently. Sam took his time saying goodbye to his mates and meandered over.  
"Whaddaya want?" he asked impatiently. I felt like strangling him but instead I wordlessly led him inside. Upon seeing mum he let out a strangle cry and fell to his knees. "Who did this?!" he yelled, looking at me with burning eyes. I held up my hands in protest.  
"Don't look at me! I don't know. I..." I broke off, my throat clogged with tears. Spinning on my heel, I flounced outside and sat on the curb. "Zingg! Zingg!" my phone bleeped from my pocket. Flipping it open, I noted the caller: Dad. "Dad, hi. I -"  
"Rena, why did you ring? You know you can't ring unless it's an emergency!"  
"Dad, it is! I -"  
"Rena, come on. Couldn't it wait?"  
"No Dad! It's -"  
"Rena, I have to go. I have -"  
"Dad, mum's dead!" I finally screamed bluntly. Dad was silent, then,  
"What?" he whispered.  
"Dead. Murdered." I repeated. Dad fumbled with his phone, dropped it, picked it up again, and said,  
"What?! Uh, I mean, um... Oh, far out.. Rena, I'm coming home right away."  
"Okay Dad," I muttered. I could feel tears threatening to burst and blinked them back. Suddenly a police car pulled up and two policemen jumped out, accompanied by two FBI agents.  
"You reported a murder?" The big burly police officer glared at me. Afraid my voice would betray me, I nodded, and stood up. Sniffling, I lead the angry looking policemen into the lounge. Policeman number two began interviewing Tamara and Samuel.  
Hours passed by, but eventually the short FBI lady said, "Time of death: 10.00AM. Cause of death: Knife through heart. Injuries sustained did not affect the time of death." I rolled my eyes. Of course she died because of the knife through her heart!  
"RENA!!!!!" I turned to see my father shoving his way through the door. "If this is a joke, you're grounded for - Ohh... Kelly!!!" Dad fainted in the doorway in a big heap.  
"Ugh..." I groaned. Bending over I shook dad's shoulder. "Helloooo?? Da-ad? Wake up... WAKE UP DAD!" I yelled in frustration. Dad's eyes flickered.  
"Kelly? Oh, Rena. Rena, I had such a terrible dream! I dreamed that... Kelly... Kelly!!" he gradually came back into consciousness. Heaving himself up, he ran to mum's corpse, which was being lifted onto a stretcher after being photographed. "No..." he moaned. The two police turned to me.  
"Serena, you were the first home, weren't you?" I nodded. "And how did you find your mother?" I looked the man questioning me in the eye.  
"Bradley, my baby brother, was wailing that something had happened to mum, so I looked around. I saw Mum on the floor and I sat with her." The officer wrote everything down.  
"Did you touch her? We found your fingerprints on the knife and the earrings." I frowned.  
"The earrings are mine, she borrowed them. And I touched the knife when looking at her, trying to see why she was killed." I began to cry. "She was turning 45 next week!" The policeman awkwardly patted my back.  
"Okay, just one more question. Do you know anyone who had a grudge or a reason to kill your mother? Or have you seen anyone suspicious around recently?" I shook my head, dabbing my eye with a tissue.  
"Everyone loved her, she had so many friends. And I haven't seen anyone around here at all!" Mara stepped over and put her arm around my shoulder.  
"Any more questions officer?" He shook his head and left. Mara and I stood still, staring at the ruins in our lounge-room, at our weeping brother, at our distraught father._  
_I sat numbly on the floor in my mother's study. Holding her jacket against my face, I inhaled. Mum's musky smell, scented with lavender, filled my nostrils. My eyes were dry, I had cried all my tears.__  
__"Serena?" Dad's voice floated in the door. Sighing, I walked into his arms, and he wrapped me in a big bear hug.__  
__Pulling away, I stroked Dad's stubbly chin. "I'm gonna go to bed now. Night Dad." I pulled myself up the stairs and into my room. On my nightstand, a framed picture of Mum, Tamara and I smiled up at me. Angrily, I slammed it down. The glass shattered, and I threw myself onto my bed, sobbing dry sobs.__  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_A boy, not even 10 years of age, cried out to me. I turned to run, but he was always there, always in my way.__  
__"Go away!" I screamed furiously. "Leave me alone! I just want my MOTHER!!!" The clouds around the boy cleared, and he came towards me. He touched my face with his cold, cold hands.__  
__"But Serena," he whispered, his voice low and soothing. "Serena, don't you know? For each one of us you help, you come a step closer to solving your mystery."__  
__But I still saw red. "NO!" I screamed. "I just want to SEE HER! NOT YOU!!!" The little boy shook his head sorrowfully. An ear-splitting screech filled the air as he faded into the fog._  
_I sat bolt upright in bed, panting. Mara's side was unslept in, and my sheets were tangled. Bradley was crying in his room, and I could Samuel trying to comfort him. Normally I'd get up and help, but I felt too angry to. Rolling over in frustration, I kicked my sheets off and glared at the ceiling. I could feel the anger bubbling inside of me. A slight knock at the door momentarily drove the exasperation from me.__  
__"Come in," I called warily. The door creaked open and Samuel's frustrated face peeked in. I sat up cross-legged on my bed. "Yea?" I muttered. Sam came and sat next to me.__  
__"Bradley's being a pest again." I raised my eyebrows. "Okay, I can't handle Bradley." he admitted. My lips twitched involuntarily. Sam glared at me. "It's not funny!" I sighed.__  
__"Are you asking me for help or not, Sam?" Sam's face twisted into a sheepish grin.__  
__"Yea... I am."__  
__I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Come and I'll show you - again." Sam jumped up and I followed him to Brad's room. "Hey-hey Bradley," I crooned softly. Brad reached up for a hug. Willingly, I obeyed.__  
__"Sewena, where Mummy go?" he asked through his tears. My throat choked up and I was afraid to answer. I look to Sam for help, who came over, sadness written all over his face.__  
__"Mummy's not coming over anymore, Brad."__  
__Bradley frowned at Sam. "Why? I want Mummy come back." Now it was Sam's turn to ask for help. I sighed and put Bradley back in his crib.__  
__"No Bradley - Mummy can't come back. She's gone somewhere special." I tucked him in and switched on his baby light.__  
__"No sleepy! I want Mummy!" Sam and I kept soothing him, but nothing we said could calm him. Finally I just turned on my heel and walked out. Sam scurried after me.__  
__"What are you doing?!" He grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around.__  
__"Samuel, just leave him to cry. He'll fall asleep eventually. Just leave him."___

_I was to regret my words. Bradley had been screeching for the past half hour, getting louder with each scream. I had two pillows and a doona over my head, but his screaming was still crystal clear. Samuel sat on the floor in my room, CD player next to him, earphones in his ears. The music was turned right up, but his face showed that he could still hear Bradley. I think Dad must have been asleep, otherwise he'd be yelling his head off at Brad. Luckily, dad could sleep through a hurricane and an earthquake put together.__  
__"Grr!" I growled in frustration, throwing my sheets off and jumping up. Samuel raised his eyebrows at me in surprise. I paused his music, aggravated, jabbing at the small buttons. "I'm going for a walk. If Bradley doesn't stop after another fifteen minutes, give him half a children's panadol, dissolved in his milk formula." I threw on a jacket and stomped down the stairs. The kitchen light was on, and when I entered, I could see Tamara stretched over the kitchen table, asleep. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her face was stretched into a mask of agony. I stroked her cheek softly and dimmed the lights._  
_The streets were empty even though the sky was light. I walked through the green of the town park. Finally sighting a dry bench, I collapsed onto it with relief.___

_The fog surrounded me, choked me. I groped for a way out, but the thick mist held me close. Suddenly I saw a light, saw a way out. I reached for it...__  
__My hand was jerked back as it hit an invisible barrier. Feeling all around me, I discovered I was trapped, locked in a cage no more than a meter long and a meter wide.__  
__"Help, help!" I cried, but no sound escaped my lips. Instead, the fog filled my throat, suffocating me. I sank onto the floor, helpless.___

_"Serena! Serena, wake up! Serena, are you okay?" I looked up dizzily to see a figure above me. My eyes rolled and I closed them.__  
__"No... I want... to sleep..." I moaned. The figure shook me vigorously.__  
__"No, Serena, wake up! It's late, Dad's worried." I opened my eyes and recognised Tamara above me.__  
__"Ugh..." I groaned. "I feel... terrible..." Tamara pulled me into a sitting position.__  
__"Come on Reeny, wakey wakey!" I smiled vaguely, watching as everything around me came back into focus.__  
__"I'm up... I'm up..." I murmured. Tamara smiled bleakly.__  
__"Come on then. Let's go home. It's 11.00 am." I blinked furiously to wake up.__  
__"...What? Wow... I've been asleep for ages..." I struggled to stand up. Tamara took my elbow and we started home._  
_We entered a silent house.__  
__"That's odd..." Tamara muttered. "Dad was making coffee earlier..." We took off our shoes and went into the kitchen. What we saw was enough to give a trained army officer nightmares for the next 20 years.__  
__Dad was hanging from the still-spinning ceiling fan by his feet. His face was a snarl of pain, but like Mum, his eyes were gouged out, upper lip cut off, hair shaved, and a smiling face carved on his cheek. His neck was sliced right through, his head dangling by a thread. Blood was spattered all over the room. I know Mara screamed, but I just stood there numbly._  
_The police were surprised to hear from Mara again so soon. While she was talking, I went to find Brad and Sam. What I found stunned me.__  
__Bradley was in his crib, dead. His face bore the same markings as Mum and Dad's, and his hands & feet had been chopped off. My scream brought Mara running. Her eyes widened in disbelief.__  
__My eyes burned angrily. "This is LOW." I spat out. "Killing Mum and Dad was bad enough, but a poor defenceless baby? That is just wrong."__  
__Tears ran down Mara's cheeks. "Where's Sam?" she whispered. I ran to Sam's bedroom, expecting the worst.__  
__To my surprise, Sam wasn't anywhere in the house. Searching his room, I found nothing. Suddenly his cheap TV crackled to life behind me. Spinning around, I saw Sam, tied up and gagged.__  
__A cloaked man in a black balaclava entered the picture. "Ah, Serena. How lovely to see you again. How's the rest of the family? Are they rotting yet?" I listened in mute horror as he laughed. There was a menacing edge to his voice. When he realised I wasn't about to reply, he stopped laughing. "Cat got your tongue, Serena?" I scowled. "Fine," he snapped. "Let's do this the hard way. I have your brother, and I have a knife. If you don't do as I say, I might kill him."__  
__I lunged at the screen. "No! Don't hurt him!"__  
__The man laughed, picking at his teeth in boredom. "Ah, so you do have a tongue! Well Serena, I want you to keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone, not even your precious Mara." I glared at him. "Now, I want you to go to the old railway station on Kirk street at 11pm tonight. Okay?" I nodded. "Good girl. Now, don't tell a soul, or I'll just have to kill your brother." I nodded again. "Good girl. See you soon, Serena." The screen went black. I sank to the floor in disbelief.__  
__Tamara opened the door. "Serena? Are you OK?"__  
__I Looked up. "Tamara, why us? Why have we been targeted?"__  
__Tamara sighed. "I don't know. But we have to stick together. Come downstairs, the police want to talk to you."_  
_I sat at the kitchen table, watching as they disentangled Dad's feet from the fan.__  
__"Serena, are you sure you don't know anyone who has reason to do this?" The same burly policeman as yesterday sat across from me, looking at me suspiciously.__  
__"I'm sure," I whispered. "Who would want to kill Bradley? Our family had no enemies." I gritted my teeth in frustration. Mara sat next to me, her head in her hands._  
_The hard ridge of the chair dug into my back, but I didn't move. The thin cushion did little in the way of comfort. Darkness crept into the kitchen, but I didn't get up to turn on the light. My eyes were glued to the clock on the wall. I could hear Mara talking to Aunt Gertrude on the phone, but made no move to take the phone too. The house was eerily silent and seemed huge. Slowly the hands on the clock moved from 5.00, to 7.00, to 9.., and now to 10.45. I sat nervously, my hand breaking out in a cold sweat. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer. I yelled to Mara, saying I was going for a walk, and left the house.__  
__The cold night air burned against my warm skin, I could see my breath in front of me. My feet pounded hard on the cold footpath. Stores flashed by in a blur. Soon I skidded round the corner into Kirk street and slowed to a speed walk. My heart rate as the railway station appeared in front of me. I stopped, my heart thumping. I suddenly realised I had stopped breathing, and took a deep breath. "Come on Serena, you know you can do it." In my head I contradicted myself. What if something's happened to Sam? Am I too late? I can't go in...__  
__I stood like this for a few moments, then finally gathered enough courage to walk in._  
The darkness was like a cage; I couldn't see forward nor backward. My breathing quickened to near hyperventilation.  
"Hello?" I called, my voice barely audible in the silence. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hello?" Glancing sideways, I stifled a scream as I saw a figure beside me. With relief I realised it was my reflection in a window.  
Suddenly, another figure materialized beside me. "Serena... Serena, come on, listen to me!" The boy from my dream only yesterday stood next to me. Hesitatingly, he reached out, and slowly ran his fingers down my arm. I felt a cold tingling on my skin, like cold water running down my veins, leaving a hot trail.  
Shivering, I looked into his frightened eyes. "What are you following me for?" I whispered. "I've lost my mum, dad, baby brother..." My voice trailed off. "And now my other brother has been kidnapped! Why are you asking me?!" My voice was gaining strength but was still below a whisper. The little boy smiled sadly, running his fingers along my arm once more.  
"I went through the same thing Serena. Only I was taken too." A fog suddenly rose around us as he grasped my hand. I looked at his face and saw him as he was at death. To my horror, his face was carved again in the same way as my family's.  
I glared at him, my voice returning as a shout. "Why are you showing me this?!" I yelled, a frightened edge on my anger. The boy went to speak, then suddenly disappeared. I turned slowly to see a figure behind me.  
_Cautiously I advanced, slowly, carefully. As I came closer to the figure, I saw that it was a female, and a very young one at that. My brows furrowed but my steady step did not falter. The child raised her innocent face, revealing a bruised and {blood-covered} mask of sadness. Now my eyes widened, and something choked me in my throat. I stopped, wondering. The girl whimpered, sobbed.__  
__"Are you Se-Serena?" she whispered. I nodded, trying to breathe through the strangle-hold the darkness held on my neck. The child held forward something silver, shining in the dim light. I stepped forward to take it, then noticed the rope around her neck. Instinctively, my hand reached for my own neck. The little girl's face grew pleading. "Please... Come! I need... He'll hurt me if..." She broke off, tears trickling down her cheeks, mingling with the blood. I stepped forward, one step, two steps. Soon I reached the child. I smiled at her, trying to look comforting, but I'm sure it looked cruel. She reached up, slipping something over my ears. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. She pushed a button, and I felt a crippling pain in my ears. Blood gushed freely down my cheeks, in my ears.__  
__"Augh!!" I screamed, falling to the ground. I twisted and turned, trying to pull it off. "Get it off me!" I screeched at the girl. She put her face in her hands, sobbing. The torturous pain dulled to an aching throb. I wrenched upright, pulling the cords from my ears. Cautiously, I felt the bone of my ear. A solid metal stick had been inserted through my skin. "What... What have you DONE?!" My eyes widened as I struggled to control my fury.__  
__Suddenly, a voice crackled to life in my ear. "Serena, hi. Can you hear me?"__  
__I froze. "You... What have you done to me?!" I only just managed to form a coherent sentence through my anger, my voice heavy with loathing.__  
__The murderer chuckled. "I've just installed a little... device. Now we can chat... anytime." I scowled, too furious to speak. "Now, Serena, you can go now. Go on, get! Shoo!! ...And leave the girl... or your brother dies..."___

_I spun on my heel, walking quickly to the exit. Involuntarily, I glanced at my reflection in a window. Stifling another scream, I froze, spellbound.__  
__Hundreds, maybe thousands, of ghoulish people surrounded me. My name was uttered, over and over again, in voices as soft as the wind in autumn leaves. I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to make myself as small as possible. Their hands pressed against me, on my arms, on my cheeks. Their touch was as light as a feather, cold yet as warm as the summer sun. I shivered, and my sudden movement startled them. My heart beat furiously, my breathing edging towards hyperventilation. Sadness written on their faces, they sighed, blown away by a ghostly breeze. I echoed their sigh in confusion. Why does my life have to be so hard? Turning, I began to walk again, unconsciously rubbing my aching ears, my thoughts running along a very winding track._  
_Sitting in my bed, I glanced at Mara's motionless figure. In her hand was a scrunched piece of paper. Peeling it gently from between her fingers, I read her neat handwriting.__  
_"Dear Aunt Gracey,  
You may not have heard, but there is some bad news in our household. We have been targeted by a serial killer. Mum and Dad are gone, and so is Bradley. I am sorry you never met Brad, he was a lot like Uncle Tom. Samuel has disappeared. We don't know whether he is still alive or not.  
Tomorrow Serena and I are going to live with Aunt Gertrude as we have no guardians left here. Please write to that address if you want to contact me. Rena and I will be very careful. Don't worry about us.  
There will be a joint funeral for Mum, Dad, and Bradley. We think it will be in a month or so, but we aren't sure yet. I will let you know the exact details when I found out.  
Love,  
Tamara."  
_I noticed a tear hanging from my nose and realized I was crying. I folded the letter and slid it back into her hand. Laying down, I closed my eyes.__  
__It was cold, cold as ice, yet I wasn't shivering. There was no light source, but the room was bright as day. I window was to my left, thick blue curtains draped casually across it. A small bed was behind me, a deep blue rug soft under my bare feet. The young boy stood in front of me, his face delighted.__  
__"Serena! You came! I hoped and hoped you would!"__  
__I blinked. "Uh... Am I asleep? Where are you? And who are you anyway?"__  
__He rolled his eyes. "I'm Alex. This is my room. And I'm gonna show you my life." With that odd statement, he took my hand. At his touch, the room blurred, people flitting in and out like butterflies. Suddenly his hand left mine, disappearing from my side. All at once, I felt unsafe, insecure, like there was something that wanted to hurt me.__  
__"Alex? Alex?! Alex!!" I began to panic, running at the door. To my surprise, I walked straight through it. The sensation could only be described as weird, like walking through a waterfall.__  
__I heard footsteps behind me. Spinning around, I saw a boy walking away from me. He was about my age, tall, with long brown hair. He looked vaguely familiar, but before I could call out, he turned a corner. I began to walk after him, but somehow found myself walking in th opposite direction. I frowned, trying to turn around, but I kept being pulled, towards the wall. Suddenly I saw Alex, walking beside me.__  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_"Alex!" I called, but he didn't see me, didn't hear me. I found myself just being pulled along beside him. We entered a room with a plush couch and an old TV. A lady was laying on the floor, dead. I choked on my gasp of horror. To my surprise, her pretty face was marred with the same markings as my own family. A dark hilted knife protruded from her chest, and blood stained her clothes. Alex shrieked, falling to his knees. I heard footsteps running behind me. Glancing around, I saw the brown-haired boy running in. His small boyish face screamed in agony._  
_Suddenly, time flashed by again. Glancing at a wall calendar, I saw the date - it was today's date last year. I frowned, but then I was pulled backwards, to a front yard. Alex walked to the front door, his face furious,a note scrunched in his hand. Cautiously, he turned the front door handle. I followed unwillingly, nervously, dragging behind. We entered a kitchen. A man was hanging from the light globe, bearing the same markings as my own father. Alex's eyes widened, he gasped for breath. Spinning around, he ran into the next room, a bedroom. a double bed stood next to a crib. In the crib was a small baby girl, her young face marked like Bradley's. Her eyes were still intact, however, and they were frightened. Her chubby hand pointed behind us. Alex and I moved as one to see a masked man. The baby started crying, and the man was at her side, knife in hand. Alex ran forward, dropping the note.__  
__"No!" The man chuckled, swinging his knife maliciously. I took a step backwards nervously. Even though I knew I couldn't be harmed, I still felt that feeling of insecurity. Suddenly he slashed, cutting off the child's flailing legs. She screamed and he cut off her arms, clamping his hand over her mouth. Alex froze, his face a mask of disbelief. The man chuckled and stepped forward, in front of me. Now I froze, afraid to move, afraid to even breathe.__  
__"I told you to beware," he hissed, his voice deep and frightening, but still recognizable. I shrunk back from the too-familiar sound. As he grabbed Alex, time flashed by again, and I found myself in a dim, dark shed. I could hear the sound of a struggle behind me, yelps and grunts, screams and thwacks._  
_ turned, not wanting to look. When I did, I saw Alex, tied and gagged, struggling. The masked man stood behind him, chuckling maliciously. Alex thrust his chair back into the cloaked man, knocking him to the floor. Twisting around, he wriggled out of the ropes, ripping off the gag over his mouth.__  
__He snarled viciously, looking so ferocious I cowered back in terror. "So you think you can get me that easily?" he growled, ripping his shirt sleeves off. "Well, you've got another thing coming!" He leaped at the writhing man on the floor. The murderer rolled deftly to the side and stood up warily. Alex landed with a thump but was on his feet almost instantly. The two circled, like fighting lions. The killer feinted to the left, and Alex shifted in response.__  
__Suddenly Alex lunged, taking the murderer by surprise. They fell to the floor with a loud bang, wrestling furiously. Alex easily overtook the older man, who was weak from exhaustion and the stress of the killings.__  
__His hair sleek with sweat, Alex sat on the killer's chest, panting. "I swear," he growled, grabbing a rope. "I will get you. My family will be avenged." Deftly, he twisted the rope around the gasping man. I was beginning to admire Alex even more. Standing up, he kicked the small body on the floor viciously. As he turned to walk out the door, time swirled around me yet again, a thick mist surrounding me.___

_The mist cleared to reveal Alex's kitchen. Alex was hanging upside-down from a cupboard, in the path of the door. Crouching beside him was the ever-present killer.__  
__"You thought you would get away, thought you would avenge your family. Don't you know? I'm smarter than you. I know your secrets, I know your life."__  
__Alex shivered, but still held his head bravely. "No matter what you do to me, I won't give in. I won't beg or hang my head. You won't get that pleasure."__  
__The murderer chuckled. "Oho, is that how it's going to be then? Well, I sure will enjoy seeing you keep that promise," he hissed. With that, he whipped out his knife, which glinted in the light of the sunrise. Alex tightened his jaw and closed his eyes, looking noble. I couldn't bear to watch, but my head wouldn't turn, my eyes wouldn't close. The brave boy made no sound, but his expression was tortured. Blood dripped from his cheeks and mouth, his massacred eyeballs rolled on the floor. As the murderer finished his face, he dropped the knife. "Nighty-night Alex. Have a good time... in the afterlife." With that, he slammed the door on Alex's {blood-covered} face, over and over. Alex's face showed his pain, but he kept his promise to stay strong.__  
__Eventually, he placed his hands over his face in a last attempt to save himself. But soon the last of his precious life was taken, he had breathed his last breath._  
_I woke up to the sound of a scream, soon realising it was my own. Tamara sat wide-eyed on the end of the bed.__  
__"Are you OK Serena? You kept crying out... Who's Alex?"__  
__I took a deep breath, swinging my tangled hair out of my eyes. Sitting up, I shivered as the cold early-morning air entered my lungs. For a few moments I was silent, and Tamara sat patiently, waiting. Finally, I began. "Alex is a boy who came to me the night mum died. I yelled at him, but he kept coming to me. Earlier, well, late last night, I went down to the railway station on Kirk street. When I went in, I saw him in a window. He showed me his... his death being, and he... he looked just like mum and dad and..." my voice broke. "And... Bradley. He was going to talk to me, but he disappeared. Then on my way out, I looked in a window and all these ghosts were surrounding me. It was frightening." I paused, puzzled.__  
__Tamara took advantage of my silence to ask a question. "So why did you go to the old station? I thought you were afraid of it."__  
__I shrugged. "Just felt like it I guess. Anyway, tonight I dreamed about him. I was in his room, and he took my hand. Then time changed, and I saw him come home, and his mother was dead, just like our mum. Then time changed again, and his father was dead, just like dad. That was the same date as dad dying, just one year ago. He went into a bedroom and there was a baby girl, but not dead yet. The murderer was there, he did what he did to Bradley then kidnapped Alex. Then we were in a shed and Alex was tied up, but he overpowered the man and got away. But then we were at his house and... And he killed Alex. He was really cruel, worse than mum or dad or Brad. Then... then I woke up. I... I really want to help Alex, but I don't know how. I don't even know what he wants yet. Maybe to avenge his family-?" I took another deep breath, falling silent.__  
__Tamara sat quietly, deep in thought. "So... so what did he actually do?" Her quiet voice broke the silence. I shook my head wordlessly, and she reached out to hold my shoulder. "It's alright Serena. We'll be fine. We're gonna go to Aunt Gertrude's today. You better pack. I'll go get us some breakfast." She left the room, and I sat still for a while, thinking._  
_Soon I stood in front of our wardrobe, staring sadly at the cheerful clothes I had worn only a few days before. Shying away from the bright clothes, I I put on a simple long black skirt and a cream blouse. I put a black denim jacket on my bed, and it was soon joined by my black handbag and my black flats. I brushed my hair for the first time since Friday and pulled it back with a simple cream headband, letting it fall over my shoulders and down my back. I slipped on a silver watch mum had given me, and pinned on the name brooch I received when I was christened. With a lot of hesitation, I opened a draw we rarely used - the make-up draw.__  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_I had no idea what most of the things in the draw were called, but I knew what they did. Some skin coloured powder on the purple patches under my eyes, black eyeliner and mascara, brown lipstick, and a hint of brown blush. My normally plain face looked just the slightest bit prettier. I stood in front of the mirror, admiring my dull yet nice look. I did look sad, but the cream and brown gave me a look of hope I did not feel. Turning, I headed to the kitchen, where Tamara had made toast.__  
__She gave me a weak smile. "Make-up - you must be worried. Come on, settle down. We'll be fine, Sam'll be fine. We'll get through this. Now eat."__  
__I sat glumly in the chair, staring at the bloodstains everywhere. "Tamara - I don't understand. What does he get out of this? I heard his voice in my dream, and I don't know him. Why target a family you don't know? Unless he knew mum or dad - but then why continue with the family? What does he have against all of us?" I sighed, taking a bite of toast.__  
__Tamara shrugged, putting her arm over my shoulders. "Don't strain yourself Serena. Try and stay calm. I-"__  
__"Stay calm?!" I interrupted loudly. "Stay _calm??! Tamara, we've been targeted by a serial killer, and you're telling me to stay calm_??! I mean, come ON!"  
Tamara stared at me, taken aback. "Woah... I'm... Are you... Uh... I'm gonna go pack my stuff... Um..." She scurried away, and I could see why. My reflection in the oven door was wild, crazy. My eyes were as wide as possible, and I looked so angry it was frightening, even to me. I sucked in a deep breath quickly and looked away._  
_The bus was packed, jolting me around. Tamara sat down next to me after throwing our suitcases up on the shelf.__  
__"Are you OK, Serena?" Her face was cautious. In the hour or so in between now and when I had cracked, we hadn't spoken much.__  
__I smiled apologetically. "As good as I can be, under the circumstances, I guess. Would you mind if I took a nap? I need sleep..." I trailed off as Tamara laughed.__  
__"You won't get much sleep here, but sure. Hope you have a good dream," she winked. My mouth twitched at the corners, but I stayed silent. What could I say? 'I'll hide from all the ghosties'? I mean, come on.___

_As I drifted into sleep, a familiar fog surrounded me. But instead of a ghostly person approaching me, I saw memories. Memories of me and mum, chasing Tamara in the backyard. Memories of our first day at school, of mum comforting us after we fell over. Then a memory of the first ghost I saw, when I was 13. I ignored her, and eventually she left. With a pang of remembrance, I realised she was Christine. She didn't go away forever. I smiled unconsciously.__  
__Then a memory of Alex, the first time I saw him. "For every one of us you help, you come a step closer to solving your mystery."__  
__Right then, I made a decision. "I will help you," I said determinedly. "I will help you and then I'll find my mother."__  
__In the back of my mind, I saw Alex grin, and knew I could go on._  
_The car was small and stuffy, but the seats were comfortable. Tamara sat in the back, talking with our cousins Annie and Stephanie. I sat in the front seat next to Uncle Gregory. I stared blankly out the window, watching the paddocks go by. We had left the city long ago, and we were now in the middle of nowhere. The bleakness was strangely comforting, somehow it felt free. Annie was talking about her friend Jessica's hot brother, and Stephanie was singing softly to herself. I tuned them all out and just thought. My thoughts were strangely peaceful, which was strange, considering what I was going through. But the carefree atmosphere in the car and the freedom of the country must have been affecting me, because my thoughts were calm. I wondered how long the bus trip would be in the morning to get to school, and whether I;d ever be able to be happy again. I wondered what my other cousins were like, and how I would survive on a farm. I hoped I'd meet new friends, and hoped that no one at school had heard. I wondered what Samuel was doing, and thought about ways I could help Alex. My thoughts were just beginning to get a little sinister when we turned up a driveway and pulled up next to a small posse of cars. Stephanie and Annie were out of the car and inside before I even found the end of the seatbelt. Tamara helped Uncle Greg with the suitcases while I took in the surroundings. The sound of cows and chooks mingled with the sounds of tractors. I could smell home cooking from the house and the smell of animals from the paddock next to me.__  
__With a start, I noticed a crowd of people exiting the house. Instinctively, I shrunk back, bumping into Uncle Greg. I stammered an apology and side-stepped into Tamara. She just laughed and held my hand.__  
__"Shy little Reeny," she murmured with a grin. I smiled back, glancing at all the people. Some I recognised, like Aunt Gertrude, Stephanie and Annie, Amy and Robert. But most were complete strangers to me.__  
__Aunt Gertrude came forward, wrapping us in a big hug. "Tamara, Serena, how tall you've gotten!" she purred, a thick French accent highling her every word. "Come and meet all your cousins, do. This is Amy, but you know her, and Robert too. Oh and here's Timothy, and Meghan, Jeremy and Natasha..." I tuned out her voice as I noticed a beautiful young man behind Stephanie. He was staring right at me with his deep, brown eyes. I met his gaze for a moment, but quickly looked away.__  
__But soon my eyes strayed back to him, his chocolate-brown hair falling casually over his forehead, his perfect face, his honey-gold tanned skin, his shy smile. I smiled back just as shyly, my thoughts confused. He... he couldn't be a cousin, could he?__  
__Aunt Gertrude followed my gaze. "Oh yes, I forgot to mention our neighbours, yes? That is Jake and Alanah, over there. Behind Amy is Jessica and her brother, James, with the blonde hair. And behind Stephanie, with the brown hair, is Hamish. He's not related to Jake and Alanah, he's just a foster child. And over here in the front is Sabrina, the little angel with the curls."__  
__I glanced involuntarily at each person as she pointed them out, but my gaze kept returning to Hamish. I looked curiously into his deep brown eyes, searching for clues to his soul. But all I could see was a strong sadness, an aching loneliness, and an overpowering glint of passion and revenge. I cowered back again, still in awe of this perfect stranger._  
_The rest of the day passed by in a blur, relatives and neighbours all surrounding me, choking me. I spent most of my time running away from everyone. I didn't see Hamish again, he must have gone home. The whole property was just a whirlwind of faces. By nightfall, I was completely exhausted. I sank wearily onto my small bed, not bothering to put on my pajamas. I was asleep in moments.__  
_


	8. Chapter 8

_  
__"Mum! Mum, I'm here! Don't worry! I can help you! What do you need? Please mum, tell me who he was!" Her face searched blindly, her hands feeling the air. Gently, I took them, placing them on my cheeks.__  
__"Serena..." she breathed. "Serena... I can't see, I can't feel my lips, I don't know what's happened to me."__  
__I stroked her cheek softly. "Mum - can you remember what happened? Do you know him?"__  
__Mum's voice was nearly inaudible. "He... he told me I'd gotten too confident. Said my life was too perfect... Said he'd he'd already done away with Linda..."__  
__I was confused. "Who's Linda? Is she a relative?" Mum shook her head.__  
__"Linda... Linda was my best friend. We grew up together, went to school together, went to uni together. We worked at the same firm, and we both fell in love. Then the firm closed down, we married, and didn't talk often. We moved here before you were born, and I hadn't had contact with her since. It was a surprise when he mentioned her. Then he said that Linda had crossed him, and I must pay for it. Then... then he killed me."__  
__I frowned in confusion. "But... how come he connected you with Linda? Why did he come after you, to fix _Linda's_ mistake? I... I don't get it, Mum."  
Mum suddenly screamed, clutching at my face. "No... No, leave me alone! I want to stay with my daughter!" she yelled in panic.  
As she was dragged away by unseen hands, I called out, "Mum! I promise I'll help you! I'll avenge you! Don't worry! I promise!" I watched her retreating figure with a pang of pain and a stab of regret._  
_The next day dawned bright and clear. I woke up refreshed, relieved. Wandering into the neighbouring bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. My face was smudged with remnants of my make-up. I looked so atrocious, I almost laughed. Scrubbing my cheeks with the soft flannelet, I stared deep into my eyes, black pupils swimming in a sea of green.__  
__Suddenly I herd a sigh, as quiet as a summer's breeze. I felt the unmistakable touch of a ghost, and looked up to see my mother beside me.__  
__"Serena... Honey, I don't have much time. I just had to tell you... You have another gift honey. You can help solve my mystery. Get the knife... the knife. You'll know what to do... I have to go now... I love you." She faded away.__  
__"A knife? What knife? Has she gone mad? A butter knife? A hunting knife? Her pocket knife? I don't know! What the heck am I meant to do?"__  
__I shook my head vigorously to straighten out my thoughts. Confused, I ran a comb through my hair again, thinking. The knife... __the__ knife... the knife used to kill her? Well, that seemed logical (but also very illogical)... and impossible. How the heck was I meant to get my hands on the murder weapon? What does she expect of me?__  
__I left my hair out, let it fall over my face. Slowly, I wandered down the hall to the tiny kitchen. Tamara was already there, eating cereal with Annie, Amy, and a guy. I think his name was Jeremy... Or Timothy.__  
__I sat down next to Annie, and she pushed a bowl towards me enquiringly. I shook my head and instead poured myself a glass of juice.__  
__"Tamara - can I talk to you for a minute? ...Alone?"__  
__Tamara stood up immediately and we went into the lounge room. "What is it Reeny?"__  
__I took a deep breath, avoiding her gaze. "Last night... I had another one of those dreams... But this time..." My throat choked up, and I couldn't speak. Tamara steered me into a chair and knelt in front of me.__  
__"What is it Reeny? You can tell me."__  
__I took a shaky breath and started again. "I saw... Mum."_  
_Tamara's eyes widened, widened until they were bulging out of her head.__  
__"Mum?" she whispered. "You saw... Mum?"__  
__I nodded. "She... she was confused. She didn't understand what had happened to her. She told me about her friend Linda... He killed her too. I think I need to help her connect with Linda... Or at least figure out who she _was_..." I broke off, catching sight of a mirror in the corner. Staring at it, I finally located a small face hidden at the back of the room. Tamara followed my gaze.  
"Is she... Is Mum... Or..."  
I shook my head. "Not Mum. Alex."  
Tamara sighed, a mixture of longing and relief. "I'll go, let you talk to him in peace." She left quickly, probably to be alone.  
Walking closer to the mirror, a thought occurred to me. "Alex... Alex, what was your mother's name?"  
He was suddenly beside me, frowning as he thought. "Her... her name was Linda... Yes, Linda. Why do you ask?"  
Well that put things into perspective.  
I reached out cautiously to touch his shoulder. "Your mother was my mum's best friend. She... My mum was killed because of something your mother did."  
Suddenly my hand flew off his shoulder; I stumbled back. His face was dark and angry.  
"So you're blaming my mum for all this? You think it's all her fault? Well think again! Mum was a good person, she never did anyone wrong!""  
I stood back, wary of his anger. I knew what he could do.  
"Alex," I began. He stood, fuming, beside me. "I believe you. I know your mum was a good person. So was my mum. But the murderer -" it killed me to say that word - "The murderer obviously thought otherwise. He thought they were bad people, or maybe they tried to stop him. I don't know. But Linda - your mum - obviously was in his bad books, so he made her and her family pay. One year later, he is still suffering from whatever he had against Linda, so he takes it out on her friends and her friends' family."  
Alex nodded, composing his face so he looked a little calmer. "But what did mum... Why did he hate mum?"  
I shrugged. "I'm not sure, Alex. But one thing I do know - we have to stick together."_

As I watched him leave, I heard a crackling in my ear. Pressing my hand against my ear, I heard a voice.  
"Who was that, Serena? Who was that boy?"  
I stiffened as my brain registered the menacing voice. "I... that... um..." How do you explain your ghostly visions to a murderer? Especially the one who killed your family and your 'ghost friend'?  
I could sense his anger. "Tell me!"  
I sighed. "Okay, but it's complicated. You might not believe me." I paused, gauging his reaction. He said nothing. "Well, to start with... I see ghosts. In my dreams, in reflections. It's my job to help them." I just realised tat, and smiled. "Um... Alex is a boy, a ghost, who I'm trying to help."  
The reply was, "Would it happen to be that I_ murdered him?" I frowned at the lack of repent in his voice.__  
__"Yes, it would. And we're gonna pull you apart." He laughed, but said nothing. I listened closely to the silence. Was he still there? I opened my mouth to ask, but was interrupted by someone entering the room.__  
__I turned, gazing warily at Stephanie. She smiled apologetically, thought what for, I didn't know.__  
__"Serena, hi. Um... Hamish is outside. He... wants to speak to you." Her voice was puzzled, even a little awed.__  
__My heart leapt into my throat. Hamish, perfect Hamish, wanted to speak to little old me?__  
__I considered just rushing out there... then I remembered my outfit - yesterdays.__  
__I smiled girlishly at my stupidity. "Oh, thanks Steph. Could you just tell him I'll be there in a minute? Thanks." Barely noticing her nod, I turned on y heel and fairly ran down the hall. I bounced into the small room I had to myself and flung open my suitcase.__  
__Calming down a little, I put on a deep green v-neck jumper that highlighted my eyes and a pair of off-white cargo pants. I slipped on my thongs - a brown that matched my hair - and took a deep breath. Calm down Serena, I told myself. He probably noticed your infatuation and wants to tell you to back off.__  
__But my sudden high didn't fade, and I struggled to prevent myself skipping outside.__  
__As I slid open the door, I saw him. He was hidden in the shadows, watching me curiously. My heart thudded erratically, and I felt suddenly shy. But it was different than usual - not quite scared, more excited and nervous. I tried to hide it, boldly walking up to him.__  
__"Serena." His voice was soft as velvet and smooth as silk, every sound caressed by his perfect lips before flowing out like music.__  
__I hid the rush his voice gave me and nodded. "Hamish," I replied, acknowledging him in the same offhand manner he had used.__  
__He motioned for me to walk with him, and I fell into step beside him. His emotion-filled eyes bored into mine, and I shivered with pleasure.__  
__He took a deep breath. "Serena - I know what you're going through." I frowned but stayed silent. He straightened his shoulders, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. "I've been through the same thing, but I had no one. You're lucky to have Tamara."__  
__I gazed at him, thoroughly interested now. I begged him with my eyes to go on, not trusting my voice. He obliged.__  
__"I'm the only one left of my family. They were murdered - just like your family. First my mother, stabbed in the heart. My brother found her."__  
__I had a quick flash of remembrance, a small face in agony, and I recognised Hamish. "You - Alex was your brother!"__  
__Hamish looked stunned. "How... how did you know that? Not even Jessica or her family knows that." He looked at me, studying me, looking deep into my eyes. I flinched, but held his gaze. "Who are you?" he whispered.__  
__I sighed. I hated explaining my ghostly visions. "Trust me, I don't think you'll believe me." He raised his eyebrows enquiringly and I relented. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. But don't tell me I didn't warn you."__  
__He stayed frustratingly silent. I wondered where to begin.__  
__"Okay. This is confusing, so please bear with me. I'll just have to be blunt..." I took a deep breath, rushing through the next sentence. "I see ghosts."__  
__His reaction wasn't what I expected. He cocked his head and flashed a crooked grin. "And?" he asked playfully.__  
__"And?!" I sputtered. "I'm a freak! I see ghosts in my mirror, they talk to me in my dreams! Don't you find that a little freakish?"__  
__He just laughed.__  
__I huffed, surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.__  
__He glanced at me slyly. "Are you going to continue your story, Miss Sutherland?"__  
__I didn't question how he knew my name as a pleasant shiver ran down my spine.__  
__"Yea, yea, I will." I poked my tongue out at him, feigning annoyance. "Okay, um, well, this is the hard part. The day mum... passed on..." I choked up a little at the memory. "I saw a ghost in my dreams. It was Alex."__  
__The smile froze on his face, his expression changing and twisting. But soon he managed to compose himself. He smiled at me weakly. "Sorry - it still hurts to think of him."__  
__"Yea, I know." I tried to give an apologetic grin. He smiled back, wider.__  
__"Thanks. Go on - you saw Al... my brother?" So he had trouble saying their names too, I mused.__  
__I continued, "Well, I saw Alex. He asked for my help, but I yelled at him, told him all I wanted was my mother."__  
__"Figures."__  
__"But the next morning I went for a walk. Mara came to find me -"__  
__"Mara being your sister?"__  
__"Yes. Anyway, when we got back, Dad was... gone. Hanging from the fan. Bradley, my baby brother, was gone too. My other brother, Samuel, had been taken. I refuse to believe he's dead."__  
__Hamish cocked his head in thought. Jeez, he even looked cute when he was upset. He sat down on a hay bale, and I followed. I had no idea where we were, and I didn't care. He looked me directly in the eye, and my breath caught in my throat. How could I be feeling these things through my grief?__  
__"Things happened the same way for me. Alex was taken, but a week later, we found him in a closet." His voice was quiet, sombre. I sighed.__  
__"I know. Because I found a camera in Sam's room, and he - the m... m... murderer -" I whispered the word almost unintelligibly, "told me to go to an old railway station. I saw Alex in a window, and he told me his family had gone through the same thing. Then a little girl - alive - appeared, and said the murderer would hurt her if she didn't do this. She... she looked like Alex," I remembered randomly. How had I not noticed this? Not giving Hamish a chance to talk, I felt my ears. "She... She put things through my ears. The murderer talks to me through them."__  
__Hamish hissed through his teeth, reaching for my ear?__  
__"May I?" He paused, waiting for an answer. I nodded, and he rubbed my ear between finger and thumb. His touch sent tingles down my spine, and I shivered. He closed my eyes, feeling the metal rod. I sat as still as I could, trying to keep breathing.__  
__He re-opened his eyes. "Curious," he muttered. "Why does he need to hear everything?"__  
__I shrugged.__  
__A curious grin appeared on his face. Suddenly he called out, "Hello? Mr Murderer? Can you hear me?"__  
__My ears crackled. "Yes, I can. I heard your entire... conversation." His voice lowered, cruel in my ear. "Serena, you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone."__  
__Hamish cocked an eyebrow, and I ground my teeth."You know, I really don't care!"__  
__Hamish placed his hand over mine, using the other one to caution me to silence. His skin felt smooth, and it was cool, like a wet river pebble.__  
__He spoke up, his voice clear and confident. "Hey, you know, we don't know what to call you. It would be so much easier to hate you if we had a name."__  
__My ears throbbed with his answer. "What's it to you, boy?! Why do you need to know what my name is?!"__  
__"Ooh, touch-y! Is it an embarrassing name?" Hamish's voice changed, it was mocking, the voice you use to say 'cootchie-cootchie-coo' to a baby. I stifled a giggle. He continued cheekily, "I guess we'll have to make up a name for you! What do you reckon Serena?"__  
__I struggled not to laugh. "I reckon that's a great idea!"__  
__"Okay, let's have a think!" The mockery in his voice only just concealed the pure hatred he felt towards this man. "Hm... How about... Archibald! Yes, that's lovely! What do you think, Serena?"__  
__This time I couldn't keep the laughter out of my voice. "Why yes, that sounds about perfect! So, how do you like your new name, Archibald? Or should we call you Baldie for short?"__  
__Hamish laughed, a true laugh, the cold edge gone. I could hear the murderer - I mean, Archibald - seething in my ear.__  
__"Shut up!" he hissed. "Shut UP!" Hamish and I just laughed harder.__  
__Suddenly I heard a click in my ear, and my hearing was normal. I couldn't hear anything but Hamish's steady breathing and my erratic heart. I frowned.__  
__"Hamish - I think he turned them off."__  
__He looked delighted. "Baldie? Are you there?" Only silence answered him. "Hah!" His laugh was short and hard, yet still strangely gleeful.__  
__I let a huge smile erupt on my face. "Thanks Hamish. This helps."__  
__He returned the grin impishly, waggling his eyebrows.__  
__I laughed, then cocked my head. "Hey Hamish, I never got around to finishing my story."__  
__He looked at our now entwined hands with a strange smile.__  
__"Another time."_


	9. Chapter 9

_Lunch was quiet, with just me, Tamara, Stephanie, and Annie. Hamish had gone home for lunch, but assured me he'd be back before I knew it. All the other kids were at school, and my aunt was helping Uncle Greg on the farm.__  
__My conversation with Hamish had taken an abrupt turn. We started talking about personal feelings, things I'd never even told Tamara.__  
__And then, out of the blue, he'd said, "Serena... I don't know how to say this but... I think I'm... in love with you..."__  
__He'd looked so embarrassed, I lay my head on his shoulder and said, "Hamish, I've been head over heels for you since the first time I saw you."__  
__He instantly looked relieved, and wrapped his arms around me, at peace in silence._  
_I was jerked out of my pleasant daydream - in which Hamish and I had gone holidaying in a secluded rainforest - by Annie.__  
__"Serena? Serena!"__  
__I jerked my head upright. "Woah..." The room spun as blood rushed to my head.__  
__Annie ignored my stunned expression. "What were you talking about with Hamish?" she demanded.__  
__"Our families..." I replied, confused.__  
__She looked shocked. "Your... Did you talk about his family?" Her eyes narrowed.__  
__I talk a bite of my sandwich - large enough to stall conversation for a while - and nodded.__  
__She scowled at my poor attempt to hold off the conversation. I could see it in her eyes - she knew there was something I wanted to hide.__  
__I mentally decided to avoid Annie as much as possible.__  
__Glancing out the window, I stuffed the remainder of my sandwich in my mouth, nearly choking myself. As Hamish opened the door, I gulped down some milk to clear my throat. Tamara looked at me, confused and slightly suspicious. I winked at her inconspicuously then turned to see Hamish beside me.__  
__"Hey," he grinned. I smiled back, slightly flustered. He laughed casually, taking my elbow, helping me up. Swiftly, he took my plate, gliding over to the sink and depositing it there. He was beside me again in an instant, offering his arm. "Shall we?"__  
__I placed my arm through his, ignoring the stares of my family, and followed him out the door._  
_I stared at his perfect face, content to just watch him for hours. But he wanted to talk - about me, and how I'd dealt with my family's death.__  
__"When Mum went, I just pretended it didn't happen. Tried to keep life going just like normal. But it was hard, because everyone else was dealing with it differently."__  
__"I did the same thing - I ignored Alex and Steph, same as usual. I even told Alex that it wasn't true, that Mum was still alive. But he shouted and slapped me each time. We parted on bad terms." His voice lowered, thick with tears. "The next day - he was gone. I never saw him again. I feel so guilty."__  
__This surprised me. "Guilty? Why?"__  
__"If he hadn't been so angry with me, he wouldn't have run away. I was supposed to keep him company while Dad cleaned up the house. But he managed to lose me. I went home, and he wasn't there. He left a note saying he'd gone to live with a friend because he hated us so much. We looked at all his friends' houses, and he wasn't at any of them. He never came home. Dad was dead that same day, Steph too. Alex's body turned up a week later." He hung his head, unable to continue.__  
__I lay my head cautiously against his collarbone, wrapping my arms around him. He lay his cheek against my hair and circled his arms around my waist. I closed my eyes, happy to be comforting him, but worried about Samuel.__  
__Suddenly, my ear crackled, and I froze.__  
__Hamish lifted my head, pulling up my chin. "What is it?" he whispered.__  
__I gestured to my ear. His eyes widened, and he pulled me closer, listening.__  
__Soon enough, a voice tickled my ear. "Hello Serena, Hamish. I have a few questions for you."__  
__I bit my lip nervously. Hamish whispered menacingly, "You don't deserve answers. We're the ones who should be asking the questions."__  
__"Oho, really?" The husky voice chuckled. It sounded evil and metallic. "Well, I don't think that'll happen, Hamish. You see, if you don't answer my questions," he paused dramatically. "Samuel will die."__  
__I gasped. "No! You can't...! Please... Don't hurt him!" I wailed. Hamish gripped my arm, whether in warning or fright I wasn't sure.__  
__The murderer continued, "But I can choose to ignore your questions, and you can't do anything to me. You see, I have a wonderful advantage."__  
__Hamish growled. "Fine. What do you want, _Archibald_?"  
I smiled weakly at his attempt to comfort me.  
"To start with, stop calling me Archibald." He sighed. "If you must know, my name is Fred."  
I giggled, and Hamish was holding back a grin.  
"Fred??!" I gasped, laughing. "That's worse than Archibald!"  
Hamish finally joined me in laughter. Tears ran out of my eyes as 'Fred' yelled at us. We held our sides, our laughter ringing through the dusky barn. Finally we settled down, gasping for breath.  
"Thank you for the compliments." His voice dripped dangerously with sarcasm. "Now, can I get back to my questions?"  
"Yes," Hamish managed to choke out. "Of course, Fred." Exhaustedly, he chuckled.  
I could hear teeth grinding in my ear. "Okay, _children_. First question: Where are you?"  
We were automatically suspicious. "At my aunt's farm." I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you want to know?"  
Hamish sat up straighter, worry in his eyes.  
"Oh, no reason." His voice was overly casual. "But... could you tell me _exactly_ where it is?"  
"The moon," I said sarcastically. "Sheesh, do you really think I'd tell you _that_? Next question."  
"I'll let that slip, I guess." His voice was threatening. I shivered. He went on, "Question two: Who would you choose - your brother, your sister, or Hamish?"  
I was confused. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean, if only one could stay alive, who would you choose?"  
I was shocked. "I... uh... I couldn't choose between them!" My voice was indignant.  
"Well, what if you could pick _two_ to survive?"  
I was frustrated. "I don't want any of them to die!" I screamed. Hamish's hand found mine, and I shrank into his side.  
"But... wouldn't you choose your brother and sister? I mean, they're your _family_."  
Now I was really angry. "Look, you _{bad word starting with b and ending with astard}_! What is the point of this? You know perfectly well I love them all, _INCLUDING HAMISH!_" My scream became ear-splitting, and Hamish drew me closer, cautioning me. It was possible they could hear me in the house. I fell silent, fuming.  
"Ooh, tut tut tut. Getting a little bit touchy there?" His voice was subdued after my outburst. "Why don't you just answer the question?"  
This time Hamish spoke up for me. "Look, Freddy." His voice was serious. "She doesn't have an answer, okay? She's lost half her family, she doesn't think she'll survive without the remainder."  
"But Hamish, my boy, you're not part of her family!"  
Hamish snorted. "Oh yea, I forgot - you weren't present for the other half of our last conversation. So, I'll fill you in. Serena and I love each other. That's the simple truth. We understand each other and we need each other. Do you understand me?"  
I watched him as he said this, and tears welled up in my eyes. We wiped them away with the back of his finger, smiling. Gently, he pressed his lips against my forehead, and I sighed.  
There was silence in my ear, and I lifted my face so I could look into Hamish's eyes. All I could see there was longing and love. I smiled, running my hand over his cheek. His eyes closed, and I traced the lines of his skin.  
Dropping my hand to his chest, I rubbed my head against his skin. He chuckled once, kissing my hair gently.  
"Well... that changes things." The voice in my ear was thoughtful, planning. I was immediately suspicious, sitting up straighter.  
"How does that change things?" My voice was wary, unable to contain the suspicion.  
"I'm the one asking questions here," he snapped. "Now where was I..." he pondered.  
Hamish caught my eye, looking meaningfully at his watch. I sighed silently as he pulled me to my feet.  
While Fred muttered to himself, Hamish mouthed, 'Run'. I nodded, my face tight. He shook his head, smiling. I smiled back sheepishly, my heart rate etching up a notch. His smile began a grin, and he took my hand.  
'Go!' he mouthed.  
And then we were running, side by side, towards the house. The adrenaline rushed to my head as we ran.  
He must have heard the wind, because Fred was silent.  
"What are you doing?" he finally asked warily. I just ran faster, pulling Hamish along beside me.  
Breathlessly, he chuckled as we came to the house.  
When Fred heard the voices and sounds of life, he cursed. As we slowed to a stop, Hamish leaned over, seeming to whisper in my ear.  
"I'm afraid we'll have to postpone this conversation for a while, sir. I'm sure we can reschedule it for another day."  
The reply he received was a string of curses, profanities, and obscenities.  
Hamish chuckled darkly as he heard the click that signalled my microphones being turned off. I laughed breathlessly, leaning my shoulder against his. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me inside._  
_Casually, Hamish flicked through the channels on the TV, ruffling my hair as he did so. I was curled up next to him, brooding. Even being with Hamish couldn't stop me missing my family, especially Samuel. Sam and I had always been very close, and knowing he was alone with the murderer frightened me so much.__  
__Sensing my worry, Hamish flicked off the TV, just holding me.__  
__Kissing my forehead, he murmured, "Don't fret, Rena. We'll save him" I just leaned into him more, staring at my reflection in the small TV screen.__  
__Suddenly I froze, my eyes locked on the figures beside my reflection. Hamish responded to my lack of movement with worry.__  
__"Serena? Serena, what is it?"__  
__I pointed to the TV screen mutely. Frantically, he searched the screen. By his face, I could tell he couldn't see anything, so I had to thaw out. Taking a deep breath, I pointed.__  
__"See my reflection there?" He nodded. "Well, to the right of me are two people." As I said that, the two women smiled sadly at me, their pale hands entwined. Hamish strained his eyes, but saw nothing.__  
__I took another deep breath, and Hamish squeezed my hand. Closing my eyes for a second to steady myself, I rested my head on his shoulder for support. "Hamish," I began. "Hamish... The two people... They're our mothers."_  
_Hamish was frozen for a split second, then he was looking behind me, where the figures should be.__  
__"Mum?" he whispered, almost unintelligibly.__  
__The reflection of his mother smiled in genuine delight.__  
__"Hamish, oh Hamish, my baby!" she cried, her voice as smooth and sweet as a bird song. She reached out with her spare hand to stroke his cheek. He shivered, closing his beautiful eyes.__  
__I whispered to him, "She says she loves you, and she's sorry."__  
__When I said this, his eyes opened to reveal brooding tears. "No, Mum! Don't be sorry! None of this is your fault! None of it!" His voice was thick with emotion.__  
__His mother shook her head, cradling him in her arms. "Hamish, my love, it is all my fault," I dictated for her, tears streaming down my cheeks. "If I hadn't tried to expose him, hadn't told anyone, none of this would've happened! Steph, and Alex... And your family, too, Serena! Everything would be alright!"__  
__Hamish shook his head stubbornly. "No, Mum, no!" If you hadn't tried to do those things, I wouldn't have the incentive to go after him! And then Serena and I wouldn't be together. So you see Mum, your death wasn't in vain!"__  
__She smiled, kissing his forehead. His tears overflowed, lower lip trembling. I caught a glimpse of a younger boy in his face.__  
__With a sigh, Linda moved back. "Ah, my love. Such a strong little boy. I'll always love you."__  
__My voice broke when I said this, and Mum came forward to hold me. Tingling ran through my skin where she touched me.__  
__Caressing my face, she whispered, "You're so brave, Reeny. No one else would have the courage to do what you do." I choked back a sob, letting my hair fall over my face. Hamish squeezed his arm round my waist, leaning his face onto my shoulder. Mum smiled slightly. "I'm so glad you have Hamish. I wish I could have met him - he's a lovely boy."__  
__I smiled through my tears. "I'm glad I have him too. If I didn't have Hamish, I'd be a wreck."__  
__Hamish smiled into my shirt, kissing my neck.__  
__"Oh Serena. I wish it didn't have to be this way." I nodded, watching as she pressed her lips to my hair. "Serena, honey, I have to say this. Make sure you and Hamish are careful. Whoever this man is, he's not someone for you to mess with."__  
__"I know Mum, I -"__  
__"Sh, I'm not finished!" she laughed. "Just don't get yourselves hurt. I have two more things to say to you, and we don't have much time." I stayed silent, waiting. "Honey, I want you to try to get the knife. Please. You'll know why when you get it."__  
__"But how am I supposed to get it? The police have it!"__  
__"Use Hamish. He, too, has a gift - even ask. He can blend into the shadows, and he senses people's auras."__  
__Confused, I cocked my head. "How -?"__  
__"Hush, not now. We have to go soon, but I must tell you this. The little girl with Sam, Linda wants you to save her too. She's - No! I can't go yet! No, please!" Screaming, the pair were dragged back. Hamish sat up, feeling their absence. I sat, frozen, tears streaming down my cheeks.__  
__"What happened Serena?" Hamish asked quietly. I quickly told him what Mum had said. When I told him of his talents, his face lit up. "So that's why! I just thought people were really ignorant!"__  
__I grinned, then my smile faded. Furrowing my brows, I clucked my tongue in thought. "But how will the fact that you can be invisible help us get the knife?"__  
__Hamish rolled his eyes at me. "Duh, Serena. I can sneak into the police station, grab the knife, give it to you, then sneak it back!" He grinned triumphantly at my shocked face.__  
__"Hamish! You can't steal a murder weapon from the police!"__  
__He laughed. He seemed so free, like a great weight had been lifted from him. "We won't be stealing, we'll be borrowing!" I went to argue, but he pinched my lips closed. "And," he continued. "No one will even know it's gone. You have nothing to worry about."__  
__But my frenzied mind kept finding things to worry about. "What if they catch you? What if you can't get out? What if your invisibility doesn't work?"__  
__Hamish wrapped me in his arms, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Reeny, honey, you worry too much. Please, relax."__  
__I smiled sheepishly, curling up into him. He chuckled, tightening his hold.__  
__"Reeny?" We sat up to see Tamara passing the door. I jumped up and ran to her, grasping her hands in mine. Hamish followed, his arms rewinding around my waist from behind.__  
__"Mara, oh Mara! I saw Mum!"__  
__She gasped, her hands going limp. "Again?"__  
__I nodded. "She was with Alex's mum." I didn't tell her Hamish was Alex's brother, and I could feel his lips whispering 'Thanks' against my neck. "Mum said she was glad we were happy, and told me to stay safe." And to somehow steal a murder weapon. "She said... she missed us."__  
__Tamara smiled. "So she's happy?"__  
__I smiled back, "As happy as a ghost can be." Her smile widened, and she looked relieved.__  
__"Did she mention Dad or Brad?" Her voice was hopeful. I shook my head, and her face fell. "Does that mean... they've passed on?"__  
__"Probably." I was actually really unsure of that detail, but I wanted to comfort Mara.__  
__"Oh. Good." She sighed in relief. "Anyway... Aunt Gertrude sent me in to ask when we'd be ready to go back to school."__  
__I looked at Hamish, who shrugged his eyebrows. Reluctantly looking back at Mara, I smiled. "I'll have to think about that Mara." Speaking to Hamish now as well, I continued, "I'm going to have a shower now, before we have dinner."__  
__Mara nodded, then looked at Hamish suspiciously. I stifled a laugh, kissing his cheek before squirming out of his arms. He caught my hand, lifting it so he could press his lips to it.__  
__"I'll see you at dinner - we come over every Monday night." I smiled, a flush rising in my cheeks. He chuckled, dropping my hand to walk out the door.__  
_


	10. Chapter 10

_When he'd gone, Tamara sidled up to me, elbowing me in the ribs. "So, you and Hamish, huh?"__  
__I rolled my eyes at her kooky expression. "Maybe."__  
__She rolled hers back. "Maybe? You mean definitely certainly!" She grinned knowingly at me, and I sighed.__  
__"Oh Mara, Mara, Mara. You are such a romantic." She just kept grinning, and I couldn't help but smile back. "Alright, alright. Yes, me and Hamish. But right now, I'm going to have a shower."_  
_The hot water felt nice on my skin, relaxing me. The sweet, flowery smell of my conditioner worked its way up my nose. I switched off the water, breathing in the heavy steam. Wrapping a towel around myself, I wandered past the floor length mirror, casually glancing into the clear glass. Then I screamed.___

_I screamed, over and over. I fell to the floor, gasping for breath. My eyes were locked on the massacred, mutated monsters in the mirror. I finally managed to strangle my screams, which seemed to frustrate them. Panting, I lay my head against the tiled floor.__  
__I felt ghostly hands on my face, but these weren't the usual, sad ghosts. These ghosts were murderous, blood on their hands. Their hard fingernails were as solid as my own, gouging into my soft skin. Red blood sprang from curved scratches on my cheeks, dripping in trails down my skin. Then the cuts started burning, burning as they breathed on me, their breath smelling of rot and death. I choked, my eyes watering.__  
__With my last breath, I whispered, "Mara..."_  
_"Serena? Serena! Serena, are you okay? Serena, wake up! Please Serena!"__  
__I opened my eyes dazedly. Everything above me was so crystal clear, sharp and defined. Mara was poised above me, her face stricken.__  
__"Oh Reeny, you're okay!"__  
__I didn't answer, feeling my face. To my surprise, there was no sign of my cuts, just dry blood surrounding small, fading red lines. I frowned, then looked back at Mara.__  
__"What... How... What time is it?" I couldn't think of a suitable question to ask.__  
__"Oh, good you're okay. It's a quarter to seven - you've been out for about half an hour. I heard you scream. What happened?" I shook my head. For some reason, I felt as if I shouldn't tell Mara what had happened. She pouted, but otherwise ignored my reluctance. "Are you sure you're okay?"__  
__I tried to smile reassuringly. "Yea... I'm not sure what happened." What a lie. "I'm... I'm going to get dressed now."__  
__She nodded and helped me up, watching warily as I walked to the sink. Turning my head, I rolled my eyes, "Tamara, I'm fine. I'm not going to pass out or anything." She sighed and walked out.__  
__As I tried to yank the brush through my now-tangled hair, I thought back over the experience - the smell of their breath, the strangeness of their touch, the strength of their nails. Who were they, what did they want? Why did their presence drain the life from me? It was so confusing, and so unexpected.__  
__But all thoughts of ghosts fled my mind as I stood in front of my suitcase. I needed something nice but subtle. After all, Hamish was going to be there, but so was everyone else.__  
__I finally decided on a white blouse, a green vest, and tight cream pants. I left my hair wild except for one part - I twirled the slightly shorter hairs of my fringe up into a swirl on the top of my head. Then I rushed down the hall to act casual in front of the TV.__  
__Mara and Rebecca were curled in armchairs, so I had to squeeze onto the sofa with Stephanie, Robert, and Natasha. Jeremy and Amy (at least I think it was Jeremy - it may have been Timothy) were arm-wrestling on the floor. The TV was turned onto a comedy channel, so there was frequent laughter surrounding me. I just stared past the images, looking instead at the blurred pixels.__  
__"Knock knock Serena, hope I'm not interrupting anything." My ears tingled with his fervent whisper. I squeezed out of my seat, trying to look casual as I walked out. When I was out of hearing range, I hissed angrily at him.__  
__"Bad timing, {p-word ending with rick}. I'm about to have dinner with my family."__  
__"Aw, too bad." I scowled, and he chuckled. "Well, I'm just letting you know... I heard about your collapse. Would that have anything to do with ghosts?"__  
__I was confused. "Yea... Why?"__  
__"No reason. Oh, and I heard your conversation about the knife - am I to understand that Hamish has some kind of invisibility power?"__  
__Now I was wary. "Maybe..."__  
__"Don't 'maybe' me! Yes or no?"__  
__I growled. Luckily, I heard a knock at the door at the same time that Aunt Gertrude yelled, "Food's up!" I sighed in relief, rushing to the kitchen. Then Hamish was beside me, kissing my hand.__  
__"Hello beautiful." I flushed, and he laughed.__  
__Furtively, I reached up and rubbed my ear. Hamish groaned. "Again?" he mouthed. I nodded, a look of disgust on my face. Glancing around, he wrapped his arms around me in a hug, pressing his soft lips to my cold ear. "Will you _EVER_ leave my girlfriend alone?"  
Fred hissed. "What are _you_ doing there?"  
"About to have dinner. Now shoo." He growled under his breath and drew away. I was still flying from the way he'd said 'girlfriend'. "Come on Rena, let's go eat."_  
_Sitting beside Hamish on the swing, Annie on his other side, I quickly finished off my hamburger, laying my head on his shoulder as I watched the stars. Annie gave me the evil eye, and every time Hamish stroked my cheek or kissed my hair, she grew so red in the face that it was amazing no one noticed. All around us were happy voices. If there wasn't a murderer breathing in my ear, and if my best friend and brother hadn't been kidnapped, life would be perfect.__  
__Every so often, Fred muttered about 'social lives and dead families shouldn't mix,' and 'she shouldn't be so happy her life has been destroyed'. And every time, Hamish leaned down to kiss my cheek and hiss in my ear.___

_Finally, when the moon had reached the peak of the sky, we started to drift away. Hamish and I waited till last, savouring every moment together. But, of course, like all things, the night had to end.__  
__When everyone else had gone, he took me in his arms, pulling me tight. His eyes bored into mine, burning. Slowly he inclined is head, his lips a hairs breadth from mine. I could feel his warm breath caressing me.__  
__Suddenly, he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with such passion that I was left gasping for breath. As he pulled away, he seemed to melt into the shadows.__  
__"I'll see you in the morning."___

_As I crawled into bed, my head still spinning from the kiss, Sam crept into my thoughts. Oh Sam, where are you? Are you okay? Has he hurt you?__  
__Ignoring the continued mutterings in my ears, I drifted into unconsciousness, still calling for Sam in my mind._  
_I was standing next to Sam in a cold, dark shed. He was tied to a chair, hanging his head.__  
__"Sam??" I placed my hand on his shoulder, not sure if it was real or a dream. When he heard the sound of my voice, Sam jerked up his head.__  
__"Serena? Is that really you?" Though his face was pale and gaunt, his eyes were bright and clear. His deep blue eyes gazed into mine, excited but disbelieving.__  
__"Oh Sam! Yes, it's me! Are you okay?"__  
__"Yeah, I'm fine. He doesn't hurt me. I'm a bit hungry though, and stiff from being tied up, but..."__  
__I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! Sam, Hamish and I are going to try and save you."__  
__"Hamish?"__  
__"Oh, um... I'll explain if we ever get here." It would be easier for him to just see it for himself.__  
__"Serena - you're fading!" he cried, frightened!__  
__I looked myself over in fright. "Sam... I have to go. I love you - I'll come back for you, I promise!"__  
__Tears ran down his cheeks as I threw my arms around him. I pressed my cheek to his, his tears mingling with my own._  
_The orange light of the sunrise slanted through a slit in my curtains. Refreshed and relieved, I jumped out of bed, new hope surging through me. I could hear Mara singing in the shower in the adjoining bathroom. Smiling, I flung open the curtains, letting in a flood of light.__  
__I stood bathing in the warmth for a moment, then reopened my eyes to see Hamish appear in front of my window. I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. He bowed like a gentleman, a smirk on his face, then walked towards the kitchen.__  
__As he walked away, I laughed freely. Glancing at the bright, clear sky, I threw on an old yellow t-shirt with a denim skirt. I couldn't be bothered brushing my hair, skipping down the hall as I had the morning when this all started.__  
__By the time I'd put a piece of bread in the toaster, Hamish's arm was around my waist.__  
__"Hey gorgeous," he murmured, pressing his lips to mine for a brief second.__  
__As he pulled away, I moved with him, unwilling to let him go. He chuckled, kissing me once more. When I looked into his eyes, I felt at peace. We stood there for a moment, just gazing at each other,__  
__Then two things happened at once.__  
__My toast popped, and my ear crackled.__  
__As I took the toast on Hamish (who was taking the gentleman thing a little to far and insisting on doing everything for me), I hissed at Fred, "Look, what is the point of this? What do you want me to _do_?"  
Shocked, Hamish thought I was talking to him. Then his sharp ears heard the evil laugh from my ear, and he rolled his eyes.  
"Why Serena," the voice in my ear was quieter than usual. "There is a purpose to all this! Would you like to know it?"  
"Obviously." I ground my teeth in frustration.  
"Hm... Well... I have a proposal for you Serena." I cocked my head. Hamish frowned suspiciously.  
"What would that be?" His voice was wary.  
"Ah, Hamish! Good, I hoped you'd be here when I made my proposal."  
I sighed. "Get on with it Freddy."  
He cackled like a hen. "I'm sure you'll like this Serena. I will give you back Sam -" I gasped involuntarily. He continued, "_only_ if you give me Hamish."_

I froze. Choose between Sam and Hamish? Impossible. I went to speak, but Hamish was already talking. I struggled to listen.  
"I accept your proposal on Serena's behalf. Serena and I will meet you somewhere to make the swap."

"NO!" I flung myself into Hamish's arms. My ears throbbed with the ferocity of the laughter echoing in them. I managed to choke out more 'no!'s and 'please!'s, but Hamish wouldn't listen. He twisted my arms off of him, stepping back.  
Without his support, I sank to the floor. He knelt down beside me, his expression showing as much pain as I felt.  
"Serena, I love you. I would do anything for you. I know how much you miss Sam. Please don't make this any harder than it is already."  
No!" I wailed. "I won't let you, I'll never let you go! You can't try and get rid of me!"  
Fred's voice was alluring. "But Serena, Sam is your brother! He wants you! If you love Hamish so much, let him go. If he truly loves you, he'll find a way back to you. ...Most ghosts do anyway."  
"NO_!!!" I screamed. "NO! YOU'RE GOING TO _KILL HIM_!!! You can't, you can't! Hamish please don't go!" I buried my face in my hands. Hamish picked me up, carrying me outside.  
"Hush, Rena. It;s okay. Please, stop crying!"  
"Yes, stop crying, Serena. Sam's waiting. I'm sure your Hamish will bring you over,"  
Hamish's voice was cold. "Could you leave us alone for a bit? We'll meet you at Serena's house on Wednesday, 12 noon. Okay?"  
Fred ignored my cries of 'no!' and said, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, my boy."  
Hamish hissed as the speakers were turned off. I squirmed in his arms to glare at him.  
"Hamish, we were going to save him! And get the knife!"  
He sighed. "Serena... We will get the knife. Today. But we couldn't save Sam. We don't know where he is."  
I wracked my mind for another argument. He narrowed his eyebrows at my thoughtful expression.  
"But... Mum said I had a talent, that the knife would help! What if it does?" His expression didn't change, still hard and cold. "Hamish, please! I... I need to try! I can't lose you, or Sam! I need you, please!" I broke down again, burying my face in his chest. Absentmindedly, he patted my back, sitting on the cool grass.  
Finally my sobs subsided, and I lifted my head again to look at his face. It was planning, but I couldn't tell what side he was on. Noticing my gaze, he smiled at me. I just kept looking at him, begging with my eyes.  
Finally he relented. "Okay, okay. I think it deserves a try." I grinned at him, and he laughed. "Alright honey, let's go wash your face and get you ready to go steal that knife." He wiped my tears away gently with a smile on his lips._  
_Mara grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. "But where are you going?"__  
__I sighed. "Mara, we're going home. I left something behind I want to get." Yeah, a brother and a murder weapon.__  
__"But why is Hamish taking you? You have a license!" she persisted.__  
__"Because he doesn't want me to go in the state I'm in."__  
__"What state?"__  
__"The state of mourning!" Exhasperated, I put my hands around hers. "Look, Mara. Trust me. Please. I'll be back before you know it. And if you don't let me go, I won't tell you about the dream I had last night."__  
__She immediately released me, scowling. I hugged her quickly then ran out the door, jumping onto Hamish's back. He jumped, startled, then laughed as I kissed his neck. I laughed, clinging on like a monkey. He kissed my hand, jogging towards his house.__  
__As we entered the garage, I looked around for a car, but saw none.__  
__"How are we -" I trailed off, suddenly noticing a shiny black motorbike. My eyes widened, and I gasped for air. "We're... going... on... that?!" I choked out. "You want _me_ to become a ghost?"  
He laughed, swinging me around so I was clinging to his front. "Relax, Rena, I've never crashed a bike. The worst injury you'll get with me is..." He paused dramatically. "Nope, can't think of any!" I scowled, but I was only joking. In truth, I felt strangely excited to be going on a bike.  
Then I remembered what I was wearing. "What about my clothes? I can't wear a skirt on a bike!"  
He grinned as he set me down. "I have it covered. I have jeans and a jacket for you, plus a couple of stylish helmets." As he spoke, he pulled those items out of a small chest behind the bike. He gave me the clothes, watching as I put them on.  
"{p-word ending in ervert," I joked. He laughed, but didn't look away. When I'd zipped up my jacket, he brought over a chunky black helmet, the same colour as the bike.  
"Here's your helmet. Would you like help to put it on?"  
After two seconds trying to sort out the straps, I nodded helplessly. He laughed, his fingers deftly untangling the straps then slipping the helmet onto my head. His fingertips brushed my chin and neck as they tightened the straps.  
As I noticed my reflection in the sheen of the bike, I burst out laughing. I looked like a mushroom.  
When I looked up again, Hamish had his helmet on, looking more human than me.  
"How come _you_ don't look like a mushroom?" I complained.  
He laughed. "Because I know how to wear one of these and still look gorgeous."  
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, when are we getting on this thing?" I tried to put on a brave facade, but my voice trembled. Hearing the quiver, he came over and wrapped his arms around me.  
"I'm not going to crash. Just hold onto me tight and you'll be fine." I nodded tersely, and he laughed as he swung his legs over the seat. "Come on, get on. It's just a bike. Just think, you get to hold onto me for the whole trip."  
I laughed. "I think I'll just wait until it's standing in the driveway, revving to go. Don't you have to kick it to get it started?"  
He sighed. "Chicken." I just put my hand on my hip, and he shook his head. "Alright, fine."  
He kicked something on the side of the bike, and it answered with a loud rev. Twisting hard on one of the handles, the engine roared underneath him. Slowly, he rode out the small pedestrian door, and I ran after him. He patted the seat, and I climbed on apprehensively.  
Then we were flying. My hair whipped out behind me, and our clothes flapped noisily around us. My arms were locked around him, the cold wind pulling at my skin. I laughed, the sound instantaneously whipped away. Somehow he heard me, or felt my laughter, because he took one hand off of the handlebars to stroke mine.  
We leaned around a corner, his foot nearly but not quite rubbing the road. I clung to him for dear life, leaning my head on his back.  
In what seemed no time at all, we were in town, purring along the familiar streets. As we rode past the school, I could see my friends walking to their next classes. I felt a pang of regret, though for what I was unsure.  
Then it was gone, and we were flashing towards the station, and towards the knife._  
_Childishly, I clung to Hamish. "Are you sure it'll work?" My voice was shrill.__  
__He laughed, disentangling my arms. "Serena, watch." Suddenly, he was gone.__  
__It took one blank moment, then the fear set in.__  
__I screamed, crawling forward blindly. With another yell, my hand fell onto something sharp. I sat back, watching the blood flow.__  
__With a sigh, Hamish reappeared beside me, pressing cloth to my cut.__  
__"I won't leave you, you silly girl."__  
__I glared at him. "You were all set to leave me this morning."__  
__He sighed again. "I was never going to leave you; maybe physically but never truly. I would have found a way to get back to you. I love you, and I was going to get you back your little brother."__  
__Tears welled up in my eyes, and he massaged my now-bandaged hand. "But you were going to leave me," I persisted stubbornly, though there was no fight left in my voice.__  
__He fought back a smirk, kissing my forehead. "Wait for me under that tree over there. I'll be back before you know it."__  
__I scowled as he disappeared, feeling his invisible hands on my face for a brief moment.__  
__Then he was gone, and I was alone. I crawled over to the peaceful willow tree. trying to hold back the fear enveloping me. It was hard to suck in a breath, and I concentrated on keeping my breathing even.__  
__When my chest started to ache, I decided that wasn't going to work. Instead, I stared over the road to the silent police station, wondering where Hamish was. The station was like a bomb waiting to go off. If Hamish was caught it would explode. At least, in my head it would.__  
__I closed my eyes, to try and block out the negative thoughts. #__  
__"Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" I opened my eyes in a rush as I was pulled backwards into Hamish's invisible lap. I turned around, trying to find his face. Softly, he laughed, pulling my face to his. His lips locked onto mine, and my eyes closed again in relief.__  
__When I dizzily pulled away, his face was visible, his smirking mouth just inches from mine. I laughed shakily, leaning my head to his shoulder.__  
__"Told you I'd be alright," he laughed back, as breathless as me. I just kissed his neck, still frightened he would disappear. Sighing, he hugged me tight, then pulled away. "Do you want to see what I went in there to get? Or are you just going to sit there kissing me?"__  
__I kept silent, lifting my eyes to his. Shaking his head, he pulled a plastic bag from behind him.__  
__Inside it was a knife._  
_The blade felt cold and heavy in my hands. Hamish was watching me warily, but I did not meet his gaze. My eyes were locked on the blood, pale and dull beside the sheen of the knife. I could tell Hamish sensed my distress, and I knew he wanted to comfort me, but thankfully he stayed silent. This was something I had to do on my own.__  
__Slowly, I closed my fingers over the blade. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds around me.__  
__Then, suddenly, I was in another time, another place. I could feel my body, still next to Hamish, but my soul was with the knife.__  
__With an effort, I wrenched open my eyes, staying with the knife. I was attached to the knife, an invisible cord pulling me with it. It was in the hands of the murderer, but when I tried to see his face, I couldn't.__  
__Looking forward again, I saw a familiar house ahead. After a moment of strained thinking, to no result, I saw Hamish, a younger version. He was leaving the house, eyes red and full of tears. Alex followed, his face furious.__  
__When they had gone out of view, we went into the house silently. We could hear homely sounds coming from the kitchen. Silently, we crept forward, following the sounds. When we stepped onto the tiled floor of the kitchen, a man who was unmistakeably Hamish's father turned around.__  
__"What are you do-" His voice trailed off as the knife was brandished in front of his nose.__  
__"Be very quiet," the too-familiar husky voice whispered menacingly. The man shuddered, stepping back. Fred hissed, stepping closer to make up the distance between them.__  
__"Why... why are you doing this? Who are you?" His voice was almost as enticing as his son's, even through the fear. Hands shaking, he reached for the cupboards behind, fingers searching for a weapon. But it didn't go unnoticed; the knife whipped forward, pushing up against his throat.__  
__"Where are you going?" Fred purred maliciously. As he pushed harder, the man's eyes bulged, his face white.__  
__He choke, and the blade broke the skin. Red blood spurted out, the first stains on the steel blade. I wrenched my eyes shut as the knife slid smoothly in deeper. A gurgling cry echoed in my ears. I could feel my body sobbing, but fought to stay with the knife. I wasn't ready to go, not just yet.__  
__I felt the knife pulling me away, into another room. Unwillingly, I followed, unsuccessfully trying to keep my eyes away from the dangling corpse.__  
__With a start, I realised I had seen this part before. I dragged back, not wanting to have to watch the scene again. But I had to watch every part.__  
__I sobbed as he massacred the baby, screamed when Alex came in. But I couldn't change the past, and it played out in front of me like a movie.__  
__Alex fought against the murderer, but he had no chance.__  
__As he tied up Alex, Fred seemed tired, weary. I realised that must be why Alex was able to overpower him in the shed.__  
_


	11. Chapter 11

_I watched Alex while the murderer finished with the baby, resisting the pull to turn around.__  
__Finally footsteps approached us, and I forced myself to turn. Blood dripped from the knife, glistening red in the thin sliver of light from the window. I shivered, falling into step behind them. I took notice of as many landmarks as possible as we walked. We walked past the railway station on Kirk street, heading out of town. We went past my primary school friend Jessie's house, a squat square in the afternoon light. The shadows of the trees hid us, our figures flowing quickly over the sunburnt concrete. A dark car was parked at the corner; we climbed in unnoticed. Quickly, we sped off, along hidden country lanes and through paddocks.__  
__Finally, the sun blazing orange low in the sky, we reached a shed. Fred roughly manhandled Alex in while I stayed outside. Closing my eyes, I wrenched myself out of the past._  
_"Serena!" Hamish's voice was relieved, catching me as I fell limp. I gazed into his deep eyes, so grateful that he was still on this earth. He stared back, his expression partly worried and partly relieved. I smiled, touching his face.__  
__Finally he sighed. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"__  
__I laughed, feeling free now that I knew where Sam was. "I might, after you take back this poor knife." He looked surprised but pleased at my euphoric mood. Kissing me quickly, he disappeared. The feeling of terror was squashed by my relief, and I gladly sat back, re-memorising the the trip to the shed.___

_When Hamish returned, he found me making daisy chains and singing. He laughed, confused.__  
__"I'm guessing you found something good; I don't think I've seen you this happy before!'__  
__I laughed. "Yup!"__  
__He waited.__  
__And waited.__  
__And waited.__  
__"Oh, come on Serena! Tell me, _before_ I explode!"  
I grinned evilly, pulling him down beside me. "Try making a daisy chain. It's very calming."  
He glared at me.  
"Alright, alright, I'll spill. I doubt I could keep it in much longer anyway." I paused, just to annoy him. He knew I was goading him, and growled playfully. I laughed again. I was laughing a lot today. Strange, especially after the hysterics I was in earlier. "Okay, okay, don't get your back up! Alright. Well. When I went... _into_ the knife, or into its memories, it showed me the past. It showed me its first kill." I watched his face warily, knowing that this was still raw on his heart. "He went to your house... and killed your father. It was so hard not to watch, the knife wanted to show me everything. But I tried.  
"Then he went into your parents' room... to the baby." My voice lowered; I hated this part. "I won't tell you the details. Then Alex came in... He took him away. I followed."  
Hamish sat thoughtfully, remembering.  
Finally, the pained look left his face, and he smiled. "Let's go nab your little brother."_  
_I smiled back, relieved. "To the bike!" I said in a stupid accent. He laughed, taking my hand. We walked to the bike, hands swinging.__  
__"Where to, madam?"__  
__"Um... turn left at this corner."__  
__We went slowly, with me directing him from behind. Finally, we turned onto the dirt road leading to the sheds, and he pulled up under a tree.__  
__"This is it," I whispered. He took my hand, kissing my fingertips.__  
__"Don't worry." I rolled my eyes. He shook his head in disbelief, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Hey, before we walk into the lion's den, I want to try something."__  
__He dropped my hand, stepping away. Confused, I went to follow, but he shook his head. I watched silently as a look of concentration brooded on his face. I held my breath as he disappeared. His touch, light as a feather, suddenly tickled my arm.__  
__"Don't move," he whispered._  
_Gradually, his figure became visible. It was blurry at the edges, like bad reception on a TV. But when he lifted my hand, I noticed I was just as blurry.__  
__"What - ?" I began to ask, but he shushed me.__  
__"Make sure you're touching me at all times. Stay quiet, someone's coming. A man." I jumped, frantically searching for a hiding place. Hamish smiled, "You ninny, no one can see you!"__  
__I frowned. "How - ?"__  
__He interrupted me again; "Hush, I'll tell you later. Get on."__  
__He lifted me onto his back, and he ran.__  
__It wasn't like this morning. This morning we were visible, and Hamish's powers weren't in action. Now his run was fluid, like water running down a slippery slope. Somehow, I preferred his normal run. This was just unnatural. But who was I to talk? We'd been thrown straight into the deep end of unnatural.__  
__Suddenly Hamish paused. My arms tightened around his neck when we heard the footsteps.__  
__One, two.__  
__One, two.__  
__One, two.__  
__One, two.__  
__Finally, the person came into sight. I bit my lips, to stop myself from crying out. Hamish lifted one hand to fondle mine.__  
__I pressed my lips to his neck. "It's him," I mouthed. "It's Fred."__  
__He stiffened, worried. I squeezed my legs, urging him on. He obliged, swiftly gliding past the cloaked figure. As we passed, I tried to see his fame, but couldn't. I shuddered. A faceless killer.__  
__When we were past, Hamish ran full pelt. His feet made light prints in the dusty ground. If you listened closely, you could just hear his footfalls, like the footsteps of a ladybug walking up a leaf.__  
__Soon, the hulking figure of the shed came into view. I whimpered softly as we slowed down.__  
__"There's only one person in there... a child. Oh, wait. Two children?" Hamish's voice was incredulous.__  
__"The little girl," I breathed. "The girl and Sam." He nodded slowly, pulling me off his back. I clasped his hand, and we walked forward._  
_The shed was damp and cold, just as I remembered it. In front of us was a wall. There were three doors.__  
__"Which one do we take?" I groaned softly. Hamish lifted his free hand in warning. I waited.__  
__"That one," he finally said, pointing. Silently I followed him.__  
__Then I saw Sam.__  
__Just before I dropped Hamish's hand and ran to him. strong arms encircled my waist.__  
__"Serena," Hamish scolded. "There might be cameras. And they don't know we're here yet." I pouted, and he smirked. We walked painstakingly slowly to the chair.__  
__Hamish stood behind while I stood in front, hands still connected. In one movement, we grabbed Sam.__  
__"Don't move, Sam!!" I hissed. He froze, amazed. Hamish squeezed his eyes shut, gripping Sam's shoulder. I began loosening Sam's ropes with one hand.__  
__Then Sam was blurred too, and he could see us.__  
__"Wha-?" he began to say. Hamish shushed him, transferring his hand to my shoulder while I finished the knots. I pulled Sam up, clasping him in my arms. Hamish pulled us backwards, and I swung Sam up onto my back. Hamish tugged me towards the door.__  
__When we got out, we jogged for a bit, then Hamish pulled us into the gutter. I put Sam down, careful to keep hold of him. He looked at Hamish and I, obviously confused. I just gazed at his face. I was overly relieved to have him back.__  
__Hamish took a deep breath. "Hello Sam."__  
__"Hamish?" His voice was soft, wary.__  
__"Yes. Sam, we have to get away from here as quickly as possible. My motorbike's at the end of the road, but until we get there I'll have to carry you both."__  
__"Why?" He looked so bewildered. I ran my hand up to stroke his face, and he leaned over to hug me.__  
__I clasped him tight, the pent-up emotion from days of worry finally breaking free in mangled sobs. He cried as well, and Hamish looked on in sadness.___

_Finally he pulled away, and I dropped my hold to his hand. Hamish continued, though his face was sadder. "We have to stay 'connected' to remain invisible."__  
__Sam digested this information. "I'm... invisible? ...Cool!" His face lit up. We laughed.__  
__"Yes. Sam, will you climb onto my back? I'll carry Serena in my arms." Sam obliged, clambering up.__  
__"Hamish, you don't have to carry me! I'll run!" I protested. He just scooped me up in his arms, a mischievous grin on his face. I glared at him, but his grin broke me eventually, and I grinned back. I reached up to stroke Sam's hand. I still couldn't believe this was real; had we really saved Sam? He grinned at me, lips stretching wide over his tight skin._  
_At last we reached the bike. After putting Sam and I down, Hamish kicked it to a start.__  
__"Okay Rena. I'm going to have to be invisible, can you handle pretending to drive?" I nodded tersely. He laughed, passing Sam a helmet. Sam and I slowly became solid, looking for Hamish. "Get on the bike, Rena, Sam." We clambered on awkwardly. I could feel Hamish sitting in front of me, balancing on the petrol tank. I placed my hands on the handlebars, Hamish's on top of mine. Then we pushed off, flying along the road.__  
_


	12. Chapter 12

_It was weird controlling a motorbike. Every corner I felt worried; I often closed my eyes in fear. But finally we got back to Hamish's garage.__  
__We leapt off the bike, pulling off our helmets. I shook out my hair, then squealed - Hamish had grabbed me, swinging me around.__  
__"We did it!" he laughed. I laughed too, kissing his forehead. He kissed me back, warm lips enveloping mine. I knotted my fingers in his hair, clasping my legs around his waist. I breathed in his scent, he took over all my senses. We kissed until my head was spinning. Laughing breathlessly, I lay my head on his shoulder.__  
__"Ew!" I remembered Sam, standing beside the bike. I grinned, and Hamish put me down.__  
__"Don't say 'ew', one day you'll be doing that."__  
__He made a face. "Ew. Never. I'm never gonna do _that_ with a girl!"  
I rolled my eyes. "Let's hear you say that in three years."  
Hamish laughed, putting his arm around my waist. "Come on, it's getting late. Time for you to go show Sam to Tamara then eat food."_  
_I screamed. Somehow, I landed on the floor. I screamed and sobbed, all at once. I heard people run in, but I kept screaming. And screaming. My eyes were locked on the body, hanging upside-down in my wardrobe. Mara._  
_Hamish was holding me. Sam was sitting on the floor in front of me, silently crying. I was numb. This time was different. It wasn't like losing my mother, my foundation. This was losing half of me, losing my life. I know I was crying, because Hamish was wiping away the tears. But I couldn't feel them. I couldn't feel anything. Nothing but emptiness._  
_I sat on my bed, rocking back and forth. My gaze was on the wood of my wardrobe. The red blood had stained the brown, a permanent reminder of the tragedy. The early morning sun shone through the window, emphasising the colour. Sam was in _her_ room, alone. Hamish was alternating - first he paced, then he begged me to let him in. I ignored him. My doors were locked, to everyone. I hadn't eaten since last night, and my stomach rumbled. But I didn't accept the offer of food. I didn't accept any offer._

My ears were crackling, but I didn't speak to even him, the only one capable of making me talk in this dark time. I no longer existed. Just a shell forced to walk this earth without her soul. We had been connected, always. So why couldn't I tell when she'd left this earth? I was connected to another being. Something I should never had done. He was picking off my family; I should've stayed behind to protect the remainder. I shouldn't have invited someone else in. I should have been neutral.  
But deep down, I knew I couldn't blame Hamish's existence for her death. If anything, I should blame myself. I was selfish enough to stop Hamish sacrificing himself for Dam, and in that decision I sentenced both her and myself to death.

This realisation hit me like a bombshell. It crippled me. This was all my fault. I screamed hysterically. Hamish pounded on the door, and I screamed in time with him. I screamed, louder and louder. I had as good as killed Mara. I was a murderer. A murderer and suicidal. I would live with that knowledge for the rest of my empty knife.  
I froze, falling silent.  
There was another option.  
_Vaguely, I heard Hamish's voice.__  
__"Quick, unlock it! I'm afraid she'll hurt herself!"__  
__A key clicked in the door. I ignored Hamish's cry of 'No!'. I was watching the blood.___

_Hamish yelled for Aunt Gertrude. Sam ran to me. I pushed him away.__  
__"No!" I yelled. "Don't touch me!"__  
__He froze. But Hamish ignored my hysterical pleas. He took the knife, threw it away. I reached for it, but Sam took it.__  
__"Give it to me!" I shrieked. Hamish carried me to the bathroom. The sink turned red as he washed my wrists. Finally the water ran clean. He dried my wrists tenderly. Then he bandaged them, covered up my raw cuts. My only ticket to Mara._  
_The pocket knife was light in my hands, the wooden handle rough and dry. Flipping it open, I grazed it up and down my forearm. Pressing down harder, I pulled it, wrenched it through my skin. The pain very nearly made me scream, but I bit my lip and kept tugging. I didn't go deep. I wanted to die slowly, to feel the pain that Mara did.__  
__When the blood started trickling out of the wound, I turned the knife to my other arm. I embraced the pain, and knew peace would come eventually.___

_Vaguely, I heard Hamish's voice.__  
__"Quick, unlock it! I'm afraid she'll hurt herself!"__  
__A key clicked in the door. I ignored Hamish's cry of 'No!'. I was watching the blood.__  
__Hamish yelled for Aunt Gertrude. Sam ran to me. I pushed him away.__  
__"No!" I yelled. "Don't touch me!"__  
__He froze. But Hamish ignored my hysterical pleas. He took the knife, threw it away. I reached for it, but Sam took it.__  
__"Give it to me!" I shrieked. Hamish carried me to the bathroom. The sink turned red as he washed my wrists. Finally the water ran clean. He dried my wrists tenderly. Then he bandaged them, covered up my raw cuts. My only ticket to Mara._  
_I watched miserably as Jeremy removed my locks. Hamish sat beside me. I wouldn't let him touch me. Sam was leaning against Hamish, like he used to sit with Mum when he was upset. The memories threatened to flood back. I mentally built a dam, locking them away. With them, I locked away my feelings. I locked away my love, my hate, and overall, my happiness. I locked away her name, her voice her smile._  
_They were always with me. Watching. Waiting. Hoping. I ignored them. I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I didn't speak. I didn't move.___

_"Is Serena going to be alright, Hamish?"__  
__"I don't know, Sam. I honestly don't know."__  
__"Has she talked to you?"__  
__"No, Sam. She won't even acknowledge me."__  
__"Why is she like this?"__  
__"She's depressed, I think. Your sisters were very close." I was thankful that her name wasn't mentioned. If it was, the wall I had built up over the past 12 hours would crumble.__  
__The cool breeze from the open window played with my hair. Unwillingly, I shivered. A hand moved to a blanket. I felt the warm, rough material cover me. My lips moved imperceptibly. His hand brushed my neck, pulled back my hair. I pushed back the rush of emotions the touch brought. I had to remain neutral._  
_At last sleep overtook me. As I drifted away, I heard Hamish sigh in relief. He lay down beside me; Sam took a seat beside the bed. Their proximity comforted me._  
_Good and evil. Dark and light. Peaceful and horrific. The two types of ghosts surrounded me.__  
__"Serena... Serena..." The pale ones, like images cast on water, reached for me, pleading.__  
__"Kill... her!" They were thrown back by the darker, more solid one. I cowered back. The dark ones clawed at me, hurting me. "You killed her... It was you..."__  
__I screamed, falling forward. "No! I didn't! Leave me alone!"__  
__"You killed her... You killed her!" Their voices were high and rasping.__  
__"Go away!" I shrieked.__  
__"You killed her... killed her... kill her!" Their voices got louder as they clawed me. Blood flowed._  
_"Serena!" I opened my eyes to see Hamish leaning over me, fear in his eyes. His face was distorted with worry for me.__  
__I couldn't stand his pain. I couldn't make him suffer I burst into tears.__  
__He looked worried but also greatly relieved. "Serena... Are you okay honey?" I clutched at him, sobbing. He sighed in relief, holding me tight.__  
__"Hamish..." I blubbered. "I'm sorry... It's my fault... It's all my fault... I'm sorry..."__  
__He looked confused. I buried my face in his shirt, letting the wall break.__  
__"Serena... What do you mean?"__  
__I just shook my head, drawing in ragged breaths.__  
__Another voice crackled in my ear. "Ah, Serena! You've decided to wake up! How are you?"__  
__I screamed incoherently at him. Hamish held me tight, shushing me. Sam appeared beside us, hand resting on my back. I twisted around to look at him.__  
__"Serena, Serena! A bit emotional are we?"__  
__I didn't reply, looking warily at Sam.__  
__"I told him, hon. He knows. Nearly everything." Hamish leaned his cheek against mine, his long dark hair brushing my face. I sighed in relief.__  
__Now the voice in my ear was menacing.__  
__"Answer me! Don't ignore me!"__  
__I hissed, "I hate you, {word starting in p and ending in rick}. You may have broken me at first, but you won't again. I will kill you. I will kill you like you killed my family. You will pay for all the pain you caused us, you pig!"__  
__He just laughed. "Serena, you forgot to add something very important into your calculations."__  
__I frowned, going over everything in my head. "What?"__  
__He laughed again, like some little kid with a secret. I shivered. After hours of emptiness, all my emotions were heightened, especially fear.__  
__"Oh, Serena, Serena. Didn't Hamish say there were _two_ children in my shed? Didn't you say yourself that the little girl looked like Alex?"  
"You eavesdrop too much," I complained.  
Then Hamish and I both froze.  
He had something else to bargain with._  
_Hamish was the first to break the silence. His voice was rough, reflecting the chaos in his head.__  
__"So... You're saying... What you're saying is... This girl... This child... is my... is my _sister_?!"  
Fred laughed delightedly. "You got it!" he cried. I turned my head to look at Hamish. His eyes were wide - scared and vulnerable. He had unconsciously opened his mouth so it formed a small 'o'. Sam was confused, but I shook my head at him. I would explain later, when the tension wasn't so high. He pouted, but stayed silent.  
Finally, unable to stand the pain on Hamish's face, I stood up, walking into the bathroom.  
In an undertone, I growled, "Look, Freddy. Why are you so intent on destroying my family?"  
He seemed confused. "Why are you whispering?"  
"Shut up and answer the questions!"  
"Mind your temper, Serena!" His voice was half teasing, half menacing. "You wouldn't want me to hurt Hamish's little sister, would you?"  
I fumed. "Look, you no-brained prick, answer me!"  
He sighed. "And we were having such fun!"  
I cursed. Swearing isn't something I do lightly, but this guy was really pissing me off.  
"Oh, fine, Miss Pushy. Just for you." He sounded as if he actually wanted me to know this, and I listened carefully. "I'm 'picking on you' because your mummy was friends with an evil lady!" He cackled like a chook.  
"And what did Linda ever do to you?" I asked sarcastically. "Report you? Catch you out?"  
His voice was abruptly serious. "No. She got away."  
_


	13. Chapter 13

_Then I heard Hamish walking towards me.  
"Serena? What are you talking about?" He walked in to find me on the floor, cursing. "And why are you swearing?"  
I looked up, frustrated. "Because Fred was about to tell me why he's killing us off when you interrupted."  
"Oh. Sorry." He knelt down beside me, taking my hand. "I was worried about you." He gazed deep into my eyes. I don't know what he saw, but I saw what I wanted most in the world.  
I saw me in a billowing white dress, and Hamish in an elegant black suit. I saw him slip a silver ring onto my finger, and a priest uttering the all-important words.  
Then I kissed him. I knocked him over when I leaped at him, but he didn't mind. I just sat on top of him, my hands on his face. He pulled me down, kissing me with the passion and gentleness I had missed since my breakdown.  
I never wanted to let him go, but all good things must come to an end. Sam walked in, obviously sick of waiting, and found us pressed against the wall, 'sucking face' as he had once called it.  
"Ew! Oh, disgusting! Se-_rena_!" His disgusted pleas alerted us to his presence. We broke apart, panting.  
Suddenly I laughed, surprising everyone, including myself.  
Sam spoke first. "Okay, I take that back. You make her laugh, you can be gross whenever you want._  
_We sat in a circle on the small bed, all playfulness gone.__  
__"Even though I never knew her... I want to. I can't just let him kill her. Having someone left alive... It's unbelievable." Hamish's voice was quiet, hiding all emotion.__  
__"Trust me Hamish, after what you did to get back Sam, and how you've helped me the past day or so, I'll do anything you want." My head was against his shoulder, so it was easy to emphasise my words with a kiss.__  
__Sam spoke up slowly, cautiously. "Her name is Alyddia, but the an just called her 'girl'. She doesn't remember anything of her life before, except for the summer day she was taken. She was maybe three or four, and you were with her in the park, Hamish. Your mother went to find Alex, and you were on the swings. You fell off, and while you were on the ground, a man grabbed her. That was the murderer."__  
__Hamish looked thoughtful, remembering another time, another place. "I... I remember that day. We were having a competition... Who could swing the highest. I just remembered her as a friend... I don't really know. But when Mum came back... She screamed. She was really upset. I never understood why. Now I know."__  
__"Alyddia... What a pretty name..." I mused.__  
__"Alyddia... Wait. I remember that name... When Mum was pregnant, I went through books of names with her. She didn't want to know the gender, so we picked one for a boy and one for a girl. Alyddia... and Alex._  
_We were all struck with this realisation.__  
__"Are you saying... that she's Alex's twin?" My voice was incredulous. Hamish nodded mutely.__  
__"Alex was the other little boy... the boy before me. She only saw him once." Sam sounded confused. "Was he your brother too?"__  
__"Yes. Alyddia and Alex." I could tell he was holding back tears; his voice was clogged up.__  
__"Did Alex know about her? I mean, did he know he had a twin?"__  
__"I... don't know. I honestly don't know."__  
__"Wait..." I frowned, an idea forming. "I don't think he's passed on yet... Maybe I could talk to him, ask him what he knew about her..."__  
__"What do you mean? Isn't Alex dead?" Sam looked worried.__  
__"Hamish," I moaned, exasperated. "Didn't you tell him?"__  
__"I thought he knew!" His voice was childish, whining. I laughed.__  
__"Okay, okay. Gosh, I wish someone else could have told you, Sam. You'll think I really have gone crazy!" He waited. "Alright," I sighed. "Okay Sam. Just listen, and don't comment... I see ghosts. In mirrors, in my dreams." The evening sun made Sam's wide eyes look red.__  
__"You see... what?!"__  
__Don't worry Sam, I'm not mental. Just listen and learn." He raised his eyebrows, but stayed quiet.__  
__I picked up Mum's hand mirror from my bedside table cautiously.__  
__"Alex? Alex, we need your help?"__  
__His face suddenly swirled next to my own. "Hey Serena!" he grinned. Then he noticed his brother. "Hamish!" he squealed. I twisted the mirror so I could see Alex leaning over his brother.__  
__"He's here Hamish. I think he says hello."__  
__Hamish laughed. "Hello, Alex. But we can talk later, Rena has a few questions for you."__  
__Alex pouted. "Please Serena?" he begged. I shook my head, a hint of a smile on my lips. "Fine," he huffed with a scowl. "What do you wanna know?__  
__"The little girl held captive at the same time as you - did you see her at all? What do you know of her?"__  
__He frowned, a look of concentration on his face. "Little girl... Yes... I remember her... vaguely. She was always so sad. Why do you need to know about her?"__  
__I looked at Hamish. "Can you tell him?"__  
__"Fine," he sighed. "I was wishing you would." He paused, looking pleadingly at me.__  
__I poked my tongue out. "Yeah, so was I. Fair's fair."__  
__He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, okay... Alex... The little girl's name is Alyddia. She's your twin."__  
__Alec's already pale face became bone white. "...What?" His voice was barely audible, a whisper in the wind.__  
__I tried to keep my voice low and soothing, like calming a frightened animal. "Alex... You heard him right. Alyddia is your twin sister. She was taken by the murderer when you were three or four. She remembers you, and Hamish, and your mother. Don't you remember her at all?"__  
__His frown deepened. "Wait... I remember... a little girl playing... blocks with me. We had matching clothes, and Hamish was there. He was watching... the Wiggle. The girl and I built towers, and we climbed them. Was that Alyddia?"__  
__I smiled. "Yes. I think it was. But Alex... how was she treated as a captive? What did she do during the day? How much freedom did she have?"__  
__His eyes cleared, shining clear blue. I'd never noticed how strangely beautiful they look on contrast to his dark hair. "How was she treated? Bad, but she was used to it. She got the brunt of it, but I fared worse. I never spoke to her, but I saw her a lot... She did all the work... Cleaning, and washing, and cooking. She saw me when I ran out... at the end. I was only there for a day or two before I left. I had the courage to break out. But she was always there... She never went out. She was always tied up, with a rope. She always seemed so frail... Like she'd just run out of energy... and hope. It always made me feel like I should have just given up."__  
__I stared at him. "So she's a prisoner... She has no hope of rescue. She just _exists_."  
"Serena..." Hamish whined jokingly. "What's happening?"  
I turned my head slowly. I had forgotten Hamish was there. My voice was little more than a whisper. "She's given up hope. She's just there, like a ghost. She doesn't believe she can be rescued. She won't even try." I stared into his eyes, almost as devoid of hope as Alyddia. "Do you realise what this means?"  
He understood instantly. "She doesn't _want_ to be rescued. She's just going to live out her life in captivity and forget any other life."  
I nodded, my heart filled with despair. We gazed into each other's eyes, hope draining out of me like water from a leaky tank._  
_That night, I lay in bed, Hamish's arms around me. Despair surrounded me, clouded my mind.__  
__"Serena, honey," Hamish pleaded. "There _is_ hope. We _can_ save her. It's not impossible."  
I ignored him. I felt terrible. Straight out of one despair into another.  
He changed tactic. "Serena?" he asked coyly, twisting me around so I was facing him.  
"Yes?" I replied, my voice wary.  
He let a brief triumphant smile flit across his face, then composed himself. "Do you remember earlier, when you told me you'd do anything for me?"  
I was still wary. "Yes..." It sounded like a question.  
I could tell he wanted to roll his eyes, probably at my daftness. "Well, does that still apply?"  
I just looked at him, confused. He tried again.  
"What did you mean by 'anything'?"  
He smiled as understanding began to dawn on my face. Or maybe he was smiling because he'd succeeded in distracting me. It didn't matter. I understood.  
"anything," I vowed.  
His smile grew wider as he rolled us so he was on top of me. He chuckled, then leaned forward to press his lips to mine.  
I willingly obeyed, throwing my arms around him. One hand tangled into his hair, pulling him closer. The other pressed hard against the small of his back. His bare skin was warm and soft, and soon I was rubbing my hand along his spine.  
His position was similar - one hand on the small of my back, curving my body to his, and the other on my back, resting just under my shoulders.  
Eventually I hand to break away, my hands limp on his back. My head spun, and I rested my cheek on the pillow. But he didn't pause, kissing along my cheek and then gradually down my neck. As he made his way back up, I had to concentrate on keeping the air moving through my lungs. When he reached my lips again, his hands trailed up to my cheeks, turning my face so I had to look at him.  
"I'm not finished with you yet," he whispered intensely, the ghost of a grin tugging on the edges of his lips. When he spoke, I could feel his lips brushing against mine.  
And in that instant, I realised something.  
Hamish was my life. He could fill Tamara's hole. In fact, he'd already started.  
And when he started the kiss again, I welcomed in my new life, my new hope._  
_Sam walked in late Friday morning, his face as sombre as a funeral guest, to find me draped over Hamish, lips at his neck. His hands were linked together behind my back, his cheek against mine.__  
__"Uh..." Sam's voice was scared, like he'd just walked in on a nudist camp he hadn't known existed.__  
__I laughed, gently rolling off the still-sleeping Hamish. "Oh, come one Sam. We're just sleeping."__  
__When he saw how happy I was, he relaxed. "Oh. I just though I'd... you know, walked in on a private moment or something."__  
__I snorted as I swung open my wardrobe door, trying to be oblivious to the stain. "The door was open, Sam. If it was private, we would've closed it." My voice was light, teasing, as I pulled out some jeans and a shirt.__  
__He grinned. "You could've forgotten!" he joked, turning around so I could change.__  
__"Sure, sure," I replied, heading towards the bathroom. "Whatever you say, Sammie dear."__  
__We both laughed then. It must have been our laughter that woke Hamish up, because he was suddenly at my side, arms wrapped around me. I smiled, twisting around so I could kiss him.__  
__"Good morning," he laughed when I was done. I grinned, ducking out of his embrace to grab my hairbrush.__  
__He wasn't having that.__  
__His arms encircled me again, tight around my waist. "Oh no you don't," he whispered playfully. Lifting me easily, he carried me back to the bed, where he proceeded to settle me in his lap and brush my hair. Giggling, Sam perched beside us.__  
__I feigned annoyance. "Ha-mish," I whined. "But I wanna do it _myself_!"  
He laughed, kissing my neck. "Too bad." Leaning over me, he grabbed his shirt from the floor, and after slipping it deftly over his head, picked me up again. I rolled my eyes but stayed willingly as he carried me towards the kitchen._  
_"Serena, darling, I'm going into town today, would you like to come?" Aunt Gertrude looked at me warily. Obviously the carefree happiness of my face confused her, especially after the state I was in two days ago.__  
__I smiled at her. "No thanks, Aunt Gertrude. I think I'll just stay here. I might... go for a walk."__  
__Satisfied with my 'normal' behaviour, she nodded. "Alright dear. Au revoir!"__  
__I waved as she bustled out the door. Turning to the bench, I sighed when I saw Hamish already holding a plate of sandwiches.__  
__"Hamish," I groaned. "I'm not helpless!"__  
__He smiled, walking towards me. "I know, but I like to do things for you. Anyway," his tone turned teasing. "You're too slow."__  
__I whacked him on the back of the head, and he laughed. I soon joined in, unable to stop myself. We were still laughing when we walked into the lounge room.__  
__Then Uncle Greg stumbled in._  
_"Uncle Greg! Wake up!" I splashed a little more water onto his face, trying to hold back the threatening sobs. Hamish came back in with more water, some bandages, and a sombre looking Sam. I looked up, the panic clearly visible on my face. "Did you call the police?" I whispered. I couldn't raise my voice. If I did, I'd burst into tears.__  
__He nodded, kneeling down beside me. "He's still alive, Rena. He didn't kill him." As he bandaged Uncle Greg's chest, Hamish tried to sooth me. It didn't help much.__  
__"For now," I replied, trying not to hyperventilate. Hamish and Sam both looked at me nervously. It wouldn't take much to send me back into that empty depression. "It's okay, I'm okay, it's okay." I tried to reassure them, but they could hear the uncertainty in my voice. Casually, they both moved closer to me, watching me warily. I forced a smile, but soon gave up.__  
__I decided to change the topic. "How long until the ambulance gets here?" I asked, my voice low and robotic.__  
__Hamish used a more cheerful tone. "Five, ten more minutes, tops. It's all straight roads once you get out of town."__  
__I nodded vacantly, watching the blood spreading flower-like petals on the white of the bandage. It was so pretty, the deep red against pure snow. I genuinely smiled. watching as each beat of his heart formed a new petal.__  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_  
__Jeremy was more concerned with my welfare than his father's. Though one pale hand was resting on his father's, his eyes were locked on me, his whole torso turned in my direction. I ignored him, staring at my uncle's gaunt face, concentrating on matching my breathing to his. I was appalled at myself. How could I have been so sadistic? How could I have smiled while my uncle inched closer to death with every heartbeat?__  
__The three boys sat beside me, worried I had re-entered my depression. But their worries were unnecessary - though I was upset and ashamed, I was never going back into that black hell.__  
__Suddenly, the blaring sound of sirens was overly-present in our ears. Hamish leapt up, racing out to meet the whining truck. Jeremy soon followed, unwillingly tearing his eyes from me. He looked like he was afraid to leave me alone, like I'd try to kill myself again. I rolled my eyes, drawing Sam's attention. He sighed heavily in relief, and I echoed the sound.__  
__"Sam, do I really look the same as last time?" I asked in exasperation.__  
__He grinned at me, obviously elated that I was still human. "Well... not really."__  
__Hamish and Jeremy walked back in then, closely followed by four paramedics, a stretcher, and two familiar looking police officers. The larger one raised his eyebrows when he saw me. He said nothing, but his face said it all. Who was this girl, this murder magnet, who lured death to her?__  
__His face was lost as the paramedics rushed forward, calling out complicated medical terms. I watched blankly as they lifted Uncle Greg onto the stretcher. Jeremy jumped in the ambulance, his worry for his father apparent now he'd been convinced I was not going to hurt myself. I half-turned to go back in the house, but a heavy hand fell on my shoulder.__  
__"Not so fast, missy. I'm afraid you three have to come down to the station with us."_  
_Hamish clasped my hand tightly as we waited for Sam. The plastic chair were cold and uncomfortable, but my brain barely registered that fact. My eyes were locked on the door Sam had gone through.__  
__There were two bulky police officers watching us, making sure we didn't talk or run, but they were unnecessary. I wasn't leaving without Sam, and I was incapable of making a sound. I could feel Hamish's worried gaze on me, but I ignored him.___

_After an immeasurable amount of time, the handle creaked downwards and Sam stepped out. I sighed in relief, the sound registering in the guards' ears. Their eyebrows furrowed suspiciously.__  
__"Girly, you're next. In you go." One of the two unwillingly spoke, his voice gruff. I bit my lip nervously, slowly releasing Hamish's hand, finger by finger. Sucking a deep breath through my teeth, I jerked upright and stiffly walked through the door._  
_The policeman sitting in front of me was one I recognised - he had also been there when Mum was murdered.__  
__He smiled thinly at me. "Why don't you take a seat, Serena?" I sat. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" he continued. I shook my head, gesturing for him to go ahead. He frowned slightly, but otherwise didn't comment on my silence. "Okay Serena. What do you know about all these murders?"__  
__Well what a specific question.__  
__I took a deep breath, not sure of how much I could say. Fred was very present in my ear. "Um... I'm sure it's a serial killer. They're all the same. But..." I faltered, not sure of what to say.__  
__"But?" he prompted, pouncing on the word.__  
__"Uh..." I had to say _something_. "The same thing happened to Hamish's family..." I saw the confused set of his mouth, and chewed my lip nervously. "Hamish is my boyfriend, the guy sitting outside. Anyway, Hamish is the only survivor from his family." Best not to mention Alyddia.  
He nodded, obviously disappointed in my lack of information. "And what of your brother?"  
I blinked, surprised. "...What about Sam?"  
He only just refrained from rolling his eyes. "He said he was kept hostage by the murderer...?"  
I couldn't keep the worry out of my voice. "Oh. That." I chewed my lip for a second while I thought about what to say.  
He sighed. I think he thought I was mentally incompetent. "When was he taken?"  
I was relieved at this simple question. "At the same time that Dad and my baby brother were murdered."  
"And how long was he held captive?"  
I frowned. I wasn't good at keeping track of time. "Um... I dunno, three or four days, maybe?"  
Gritting his teeth, the policeman tried again. "And how did you get him back?"  
I tried not to freeze up. This was the only question I couldn't answer truthfully. I tried to weave in half-truths with my lies. "Well..." - he sensed a lie coming on, and leaned in suspiciously - "My boyfriend and I tried to find all the nearest deserted buildings, because he seemed like he'd be a shed person, took a lucky guess, and found Sam. He must've been the only one there, because we just grabbed him and ran. But somehow the murderer must have found out, because when we got back to my aunt's house, my..." I had to force the words to come out, a sob threatening to explode out of me. "My sister was dead. I don't know what happened after that. I went into a depression. I -" I couldn't speak. The anguish on my face must have looked real enough, because the officer stayed awkwardly silent while I tried to calm down.  
When I finally looked up, his expression was a mixture of emotions - confusion, worry, uncertainty, and suspicion were all featured.  
I tried to smile reassuringly. "I'm sorry. My sister and I were very close. I haven't spoken of her aloud since her death."  
The officer nodded, wiping his face of all emotion. "I understand. I only need to know a few more things."  
"Go ahead."  
"Good girl. And how many days has it been since your sister's death?"  
I had to do some quick calculations. "Um... Since Tuesday... Oh! That's only two days..." I was amazed. My depression had seemed much longer.  
His thin eyebrows were raised. "This number surprises you?"  
It made more sense the longer I thought about it. "It surprised me at first... My depression seemed longer. But it does make sense really - all the deaths were close together. I don't understand why he didn't _kill_ Uncle Greg though, he just injured him..." I unconsciously trailed off, and the officer scowled.  
"Why do you _think_ he didn't kill your uncle?" he prompted, exasperated.  
I shrugged. "Maybe because my uncle wasn't very close to me, and I think he's targeting me mainly, or maybe Uncle Greg just managed to get away from him and he didn't want to reveal himself to us. I really don't know."  
His mouth twitched. "Okay then. Hm... Tell me about your brother."  
I frowned. Hadn't we already had this conversation? "...What about Sam?" I asked, my voice puzzled.  
This time he did roll his eyes. "Tell me about him - anything that we could use, to incriminate the killer...?" He stopped with a sigh, probably because of my bewildered expression. "Just tell me what you brother was like."  
I wrinkled my nose. What was the point of telling him about my brother? "Um... He's outgoing, bubbly... Very trustworthy and loyal. He's wary to trust but when he does he follows you with all his heart. He's still a child in so many ways, but an adult as well. He's been through so much recently, he's lost so much innocence, but he's been so brave an d loving - he has so much love in his heart. Though he's younger than me - and in some ways because of that - we've always been very close." But not as close as me and Mara, I added silently.  
He nodded slightly, his gelled hair not moving and looking very unnatural. I suppressed a giggle, and he frowned again. I don't think he liked me very much. This thought brought a smirk to my face, and he looked slightly worried.  
"Okay... Um..." He fumbled for his words, and my smirk grew more pronounced. "Oh. Let's see, what about your boyfriend?"  
My smirk turned into a genuine smile as I relaxed. "Hamish..." I dug for words to describe him. "He's a gentleman... Polite, quiet... He's shy and closed up, but once he let's you in, he's a trusting, honest, true person. He puts everyone else before him, and will do anything for those he loves." Including steal a murder weapon and ride on the petrol tank of a motorbike. "He stayed with me through my depression, and never wavered in his love for me, even when I tried to kill myself." ...Oops.  
This shocked the man. "You... attempted suicide? His expression was appalled.  
I shrugged, wanting to get away from the subject. "I was depressed - my twin and best friend had just been murdered. I just cut my arms, but Hamish got me in time." I pulled my hands self-consciously into my sleeves.  
"Hmph," he snorted. My eyebrows furrowed, but I stayed silent. "Okay Serena, you can go now." His voice was relieved. I tried not to giggle as I walked out, but once I was through that ominous door, it bubbled up. Hamish raised an eyebrow, and I smirked at him. The guarding officers glared, but I rolled my eyes and sat down. Before he got up, I grabbed Hamish in a hug.  
"I decided where Sam was. You knew nothing. You just went with me," I whispered almost silently, the words rushing out of my mouth. He broke away with a kiss, nodding his eyes to show he'd understood. I immediately turned to Sam, enveloping him in a hug as well. I could tell he was confused, but I didn't explain. Instead, I started giggling again.  
"What's so funny?" he complained.  
I bit my lip, pretending to restrain the giggles. "The officer in there thought I was mentally incompetent or something!" I struggled to keep up the act, staring at him with wide eyes.  
He frowned slightly but thankfully played along. "Seriously?" He snorted. "Why? What did you do?"  
I laughed again, praying that Hamish would come out soon. "Oh, I didn't understand his questions and stuff, you know. But it was so funny, the looks he gave me."  
Sam forced himself to laugh with me. It sounded off, but it fooled the guarding officers.  
Finally one of the two spoke up. "...Would you two like to go outside? We don;t really need to any more..." He seemed uncomfortable, which was my purpose.  
I jumped up, feigning excitement. "Oh, goody! Thank you, thank you!" Sam stood up too, relieved. He was dying to talk to me, but he knew me well enough to understood that we couldn't talk if watched.  
We quickly followed the officer as he exited the station. We came out the front and my eyes fell onto the tree Hamish had left me under two days ago.  
I jumped in front of the man, keeping up my fake bubbly attitude. "Can you tell my boyfriend that we'll be under that tree over there? Thanks!" I dragged Sam over the road without waiting for an answer, leaving the bewildered policeman behind._  
_Sam glowered at me. "Explain," he growled.__  
__I sighed. "I had to tell Hamish my story for how I found you. But there had to be a reason I hugged him, so I had to play around, convince them that that's what I'm really like. But I also had to get out of there - they have no emotion, they don't care how raw the wounds are."__  
__Sam's gaze softened. "Oh."__  
__I smiled. "Sorry."__  
__My smiled started to crack, and I put my head in my hands. Sam's arm moved to lay over my shoulders, and his head leaned against mine. This gesture made me choke back tears.__  
__But when I felt Hamish's arm on the other side, I started to sob.__  
__I cried - cried out all my sadness, my loneliness, my and and frustration, but most of all, my guilt. I cried until my tears had run dry, my eyes felt rough and scratchy. I felt limp and empty, hollow. But then I remembered the two boys sitting beside me, the two most important pieces of my life. And so I sat up, wiping my face clean on the handkerchief Hamish held out.__  
__"Are you alright, Rena?" His expression was worried but also held an echo of his own pain and loss.__  
__I looked back at him, trying to show in my eyes that I was truly fine. "I'm sorry, Hamish, I'm sorry. I just... got a bit emotional."__  
__He smiled. "I know how you feel, I did the same thing when I was questioned after Alex turned up. But I was alone."__  
__I stood up, pulling them both with me. "I know, that's why I apologised. I have so much more than you did and I'm still sobbing." He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. "Can we go to the hospital to see Uncle Gregory? Jeremy's there, and I'm sure Aunt Gertrude will be there by now."__  
__He sighed but laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's go. It's not too far."_  
_"Your uncle is just up that hallway. There's a small waiting area a bit further up." The cheesy voice sounded rehearsed as the blonde receptionist drawled out directions. Sam thanked her, and together he and Hamish led me up the corridor.__  
__When we reached the small opening, we saw Aunt Gertrude sobbing loudly in a chair, and Jeremy comforting her. Her face was red and tear-streaked, but his was as dry as a bone and precisely the same colour.__  
__Hamish and I instinctively steered Sam away, to the other side of the room. Even though I knew my uncle was still alive, my family needed alone time to deal with it.__  
__Jeremy glanced up. "They're performing emergency surgery," he whispered. "They don't know how long it'll take."__  
__I nodded at him, trying to be comforting. "He'll be okay, they'll take good care of him."__  
__"I know, I know." He tried to sound positive, but failed. His head in his hands, he waited. And we waited with him._


	15. Chapter 15

_After five minutes, Sam had drank six cups of water.__  
__After ten minutes, he'd had another seven cups.__  
__After fifteen minutes, he and Hamish had gone to the toilets.__  
__After eighteen minutes, they still weren't back, and I was sprawled over two and a half chairs. I watched people via their reflections as they bustled around, the hushed voices and bleeping machines blending together to create a low hum, hovering around my ears.__  
__Suddenly, a biting cold settled on me; I involuntarily hissed in a sharp breath. A quick glance at Jeremy showed that he did not feel the sudden cold.__  
__A motion in my peripheral vision drew my attention back to the glass wall. My eyes settled on a pale figure beside me, brown hair floating around a pale heart-shaped face.__  
__My heart skipped a beat.__  
__"A... Alyddia?" I whispered.__  
__Her empty eyes flickered vaguely in response to her name, but she did not answer. Her pale hands fluttered helplessly in front of her.__  
__"Alyddia, talk to e! What happened? Hamish will be devastated that you're gone! Please, talk to me!" I pleaded, keeping my voice low so I didn't draw the attention of other waiting people.__  
__When I mentioned her brother, she couldn't keep up the expression any longer. "No - please don't tell him! I don't want him to be upset! Just try and convince him I don't want to be rescued; tell him I'm better off left alone!" Her previously dead eyes were now wild and pleading. I stared at her in disbelief for a moment, her worried eyes boring into mine. Finally I relented, nodding my head helplessly. She relaxed, wiping her face so it was once more expressionless.__  
__"Why did he kill you?" I whispered, sickened. She sighed.__  
__"He wanted to get to you, to make you give up. You were getting too close."__  
__I frowned, amazed. Was he actually... worried? I tried not to grin - after all, he _had_ killed Alyddia because of us. But it was hard not to be amused. I tried to think up more questions to keep myself occupied.  
"What is he doing now?"  
She frowned slightly. "He's just hiding, trying to be inconspicuous, I think."  
I sighed in relief, and looked up as someone entered the room. Hamish smiled at me, steering Sam away from the water filter and in my direction. I smiled back, inconspicuously glancing towards Alyddia. Wistfully, she kissed Hamish's forehead and faded away.  
Hamish shivered. "Did it just get colder in here, or is it just me?"  
I tried to smile naturally. "No, it must be just you."  
He grinned, sitting down behind my head. Absentmindedly, he started stroking my hair. "So, any word about your uncle?"  
As if in answer to his words, a nurse walked out to Aunt Gertrude. "You can go in now, miss. Your husband's awake, but still rather weak. We had to try and stitch up parts of his heart and lungs. He's lucky he got here when he did."  
Relieved, Aunt Gertrude and Jeremy stood up. Just before she walked away, she turned back to us. "Serena - you, Hamish and Sam can take a cab home if you want."  
I glanced at Hamish, and he shrugged. Looking back at Aunt Gertrude, I sat up. "I think we will, thanks."  
Another thing she doesn't have to worry about, I thought to myself as she handed us the money.  
As she rushed away, Hamish pulled me out of the chair. Sam was standing behind him. "Shall we?" he asked.  
I smiled, letting him lead me out. He was such a gentleman._  
_The cab ride home was quiet - I think Hamish blamed my silence on fear for my uncle, but really, nothing could be further from my mind. I was thinking about Alyddia - her death, and her desperate plea for her brother's obliviousness. But not long after we stepped out of the cab, the silence ended. As Sam walked away, I heard the unmistakable sound of Fred's voice in my ear.__  
__"So, Serena, how's Uncle Greg? I _was_ sorry when he got away."  
I stolidly ignored him, and Hamish wrapped a comforting arm around my waist.  
His voice was strangely worried. "Serena, if you're there, answer me!"  
"Where else would I be?" I snapped sarcastically. "You inserted the damn things through my _ears_!"  
I could almost feel the relief emanating from him. "Why didn't you answer me?" he snapped back just as sharply. "I... I don't like being ignored." He meant his weak excuse to sound menacing, but his relief got through. I giggled.  
"Yeah, well, I like ignoring you," I retorted cheekily.  
He growled.  
"Look, Freddy, are you ever going to leave us alone?" Hamish's voice was bored.  
I could tell Fred hated the fact that his voice and his threats didn't scare us. "...You know, Hamish, I'm surprised you're still with Serena. I mean, it was _her_ fault!"  
Hamish was confused. "...What?"  
He laughed. "You mean she hasn't _told_ you?" His voice was gleeful. "Oh, goodie! That means I can be here for the performance!"  
I listened in horror. He... He was trying to make _me_ tell Hamish about Alyddia! My tongue was dry and heavy in my mouth; I felt as though I wouldn't be able to make a sound. I twisted out of Hamish's arm, lacing my fingers together.  
"Oh, come on Serena," he coaxed. "Aren't you going to tell him?"  
Hamish was looking at me expectantly, and I knew I couldn't get out of it.  
I looked him in the eye, trying to make myself look apologetic. "Alydd..." I broke off. I couldn't sat it. I couldn't hurt him. But to my extreme horror, understanding dawned on my face. I watched confusion, sadness, and hatred flicker over his features before he settled on anger.  
"Alyddia is dead." It wasn't a question.  
I nodded.  
"You weren't going to tell me."  
I shook my head.  
His mouth twisted. It took me a moment to recognise the expression on his face, then I realised - it was disgust.  
"Hamish... I... She didn't want me -"  
"Shut up."  
I froze. His face was livid, his voice loathing.  
"How could you even _consider_ keeping this from me? You, of all people! I trusted you! I thought you knew how it felt! I... I..." He broke off, clenching his teeth.  
I was strangely calm. Empty. "Well, if that's how you feel."  
He nodded slightly, not looking at me.  
"Then I guess it doesn't matter that I wanted to tell you, and I guess it doesn't matter that your sister begged me with all her heart not to breathe a word to you."  
He struggled to keep his expression blank, but eventually he shook his head. "You would be correct."  
I turned around to walk away. "Then there's nothing more for me here."_  
**_HAMISH_**_****_

_I know I'd promised myself I'd never forgive her, but she wouldn't get out of my head. There was just something about the way she'd said, 'Then there's nothing more for me here'. The words reminded me of something, and I shoved the memories back. I did _not_ want to relive that time.  
But still the image floated in my mind - the inhuman glee with which she'd watched the life pour out of her, the bright red against her clear, perfect skin.  
With the image came a stab of pain. The last time her love left her, she went into a depression, eventually trying to kill herself. I knew that, no matter how much I never wanted to see that beautiful, betraying face again, I couldn't let her take herself from this earth.  
With a sigh, I unlocked my limbs and headed towards the house._

"Did Serena come inside?"  
Sam looked up from his comic book slowly. I knew he had heard the beginning of the fight, and I hoped he would be honest with me.  
"Yeah, she came inside a little while ago. I think she's in her room. I can't tell, she's locked the bathroom door on this side."  
I tried to smile at him. "Thanks Sam."  
He grinned. "No worries, Hamish."  
At least that_ friendship wasn't destroyed._

I slowly walked towards Serena's room. I'm just making sure she's okay, I told myself. I don't have to talk to her.  
Her room was normal, her belongings still in place. But she wasn't there, and I was turning to leave when I heard her voice. I crept nearer to the sound, pressing my ear up against the bathroom door.  
She was sobbing. I immediately felt a stab of guilt. This was the second time I'd made her weep for me.  
"I knew he would do this! Oh Alyddia, surely you would have known the murderer would do this!"  
There was a pause, then she started sobbing harder. "But he would have found out anyway! I shouldn't have listened to you, I should have just told him!" My heart ached to hear her so upset. "Oh Alyddia, what am I going to do?"  
It was in that instant that I knew - I couldn't leave her like this. I needed her.  
**_SERENA_**_****_

_I sobbed, broken-hearted. Why hadn't I told him? I should've know Fred wouldn't let me hide it.__  
__But even worse than that was the pain of know how easily he had given me up - how one thing had just torn him away. That was the real reason I was sobbing.__  
__I had to let go again, had to cut him off. It couldn't be that hard - after all, if he could, why couldn't I?__  
__I leaned against the wall, trying to quiet myself.__  
__It worked quickly. The knowledge that he didn't want me, that all the times he'd told me he loved me were lies, that he could just let go of what I'd thought we had, made it easy for me to cut him away from my heart.__  
__I started to breathe easier. Life could go on. It _would_ go on. I would survive. I started humming the song 'I will Survive', trying to make myself believe the words that seemed impossible.  
Then I heard a sound outside the door.  
"Serena?" His voice was timid, apologetic. And did I detect a hint of pain?  
I ignored him.  
"Serena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, honey. I need you, I love you. Serena, please. Please talk to me."  
I stolidly continued ignoring him.  
"Why won't you let him in?" Alyddia's face was confused. "You were just saying how much you loved him, and now you won't let him apologise?"  
I ignored her too.  
They both begged me, but there was nothing they could do. I was not letting him back in my heart. He'd already broken it beyond repair, I wasn't going to let him mask the damage while he hurt me some more.  
Alex joined in the begging. "He means it Serena, he loves you!"  
When I ignored him too, he and Alyddia approached me, determined. It was hard to ignore them when they were trying to pull me up, but I managed.  
Then their soft hands were replaced by sharp claws. The twins were dragged away as my dark nightmare began again.  
I screamed as the dark claws raked along my skin. After a brief pause, Hamish started bashing against the door. I couldn't move to let him in. I was paralysed. The blood flowed, and evil hisses filled my ears. I screamed._  
**_HAMISH_**_****_

_All of a sudden, Serena started screaming. I thought for a second that she was screaming at me, but then the note of shrill terror registered in my ears.__  
__"Serena!" I banged my fists against the door frantically. She didn't answer, her screams just getting louder.__  
__Worried, I slammed my shoulder into the door. When it didn't budge, and her screams were ear-piercing, I gave up on that and started using my foot, kicking it with as much strength as I could muster.__  
__Sam came running in. "What did you do to her?!" he yelled.__  
__I glared at him with burning eyes. "She's in pain, I don't know what's happening!"__  
__His angry façade dropped, and worry was etched in every line of his face. "Oh. Sorry."__  
__"Help me get in," I snapped. Wordlessly, he added his weight to my efforts. We kicked the door, over and over.___

_Finally it smashed inwards, and Sam echoed my gasp of disbelief. Serena was on the floor, curled into a ball. Blood was gushing from claw marks all over her skin, and even as we watched, more raw cuts appeared, like someone (or something) with every sharp nails was scratching her.__  
__"Sam - go and get he first aid kit," I orderer tersely. Not waiting to see if he followed my orders, I rushed over to Serena. "Serena, honey, what's happening?" I asked frantically. She wouldn't answer, the pain in her screams escalating to an unbearable level. Unable to stand it, I spread my body over hers protectively, holding her tightly.__  
__Then claws were raking down my arms, war, blood gushing on my skin. I gasped in pain. What was this?__  
__My clothes were saturated with blood before I tried to move.__  
__"Serena, help me get you out. Please." My voice was feeble, weaker than I expected.__  
__I forced my hands to move, inching closer to the door. The angry claws tried to pull me back, but I kept going. I had to help Serena.__  
__Finally we reached the door. With a final effort, I managed to pull us both out of the bathroom.__  
__As soon as we were through the door, the claws disappeared. A last hiss of menacingly hot air blew around us, then they were gone.__  
__For a moment, I lay, panting, on top of her, too tired to move. But then I gathered the energy, pulling myself into a standing position, and lifting Serena into my arms. It felt right, like she belonged there.__  
__With a sigh of remorse, I carried her over to the bed, gently putting her down. I noticed Sam had put the first aid kit on the bed and then tactfully left us alone. I was glad - I didn't want another witness to my stupidity.__  
__I began bathing her cuts gently, not meeting her gaze. I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn't look up.__  
__When I ran out of wounds, she took the flannelette from my hand and began washing my injuries. I kept my eyes down, afraid of what she thought of me.__  
__Finally, she put her hand on my chin, lifting my face up so I met her eyes.r I don't know what she saw in mine, but, to my surprise, I didn't see anger or accusations in her eyes. Instead, I saw love, and apologies, and forgiveness.__  
__She opened her mouth to speak. but I pressed my fingers to her lips, shushing her. "No, let me speak." She sighed, then closed her mouth. I pulled away, reluctant to break off the contact, but not wanting to be intimidating, or to push it too far.__  
__"Serena...I... I'm sorry. So very, extremely sorry. I'll understand if you can never forgive me, or if you never want to see me again. But... Well, I can't say I didn't mean it, because that would be a lie. But I can say that it was extremely rude of me to say what I did, and ignore you like that. I was a complete jerk. Please, please, please accept this apology. I'm not asking for forgiveness, because I don't expect you to be able to give it. I'm just asking for you to listen, and understand. I -"__  
__This time it was she who placed fingers over lips.__  
__"Shh, honey. I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness. You were a jerk, yeah, but I was worse than that. I kept something from you, something I knew you would want to know, would _need_ to know. I should have known it was inevitable that you would find out, I should have just told you myself. For that I am sorry, but... but that's not all I'm apologising for. I..." She seemed lost for words, and I stayed silent while she struggled with herself. The pain on her face made me want to wrap her in a hug, tell her it was all going to be okay, kiss her reassuringly. But I didn't move, and soon enough she spoke again.  
"I'm so sorry, Hamish." Her eyes were filled with tears and my hand yearned to wipe them away. "Oh, Hamish, I'm sorry. So very, very sorry." The tears spilled over, and she began to rush through her words. "It's all my fault! I was getting too close, he was scared. He knew if he killed Alyddia, I would back off! Oh, Hamish, I'm... I..."  
She broke off, her tears of unnecessary pain and guilt streaming down her cheeks.  
Unable to sit back any longer, I wrapped my arms around her, letting her cry into my chest. I buried my face into her hair, inhaling her scent.  
"Oh, Serena honey. Don't blame yourself. Please don't, Serena. It's not your fault. Shh, please honey. Don't cry, please don't."  
Soon her sobs began to subside, and then she was quiet. I stroked her hair until she raised her head.  
When I saw a timid smile on her face, I unconsciously broke into a grin. Her smile widened in response, and I was suddenly very aware of how much I loved her.  
I lifted my hands to hold her cheeks. "I love you."  
She laughed. "Yeah, jerk, I love you too."  
I relished in her laughter, relaxed. Impulsively, I dropped my hands, leaning in towards her, stopping an inch from her face.  
With a cheek grin, she grabbed my face and pulled me the rest of the way, her soft lips pressing against mine. With a gasp of laughter and of passion, I pulled her closer, holding her tight. I could still feel the tension and shame in her, and I began pushing her down, kissing her with just enough passion to make her give in. Soon she relaxed, her doubt crumbling away, replaced with fire and trust.  
I smiled victoriously, moving my lips to her neck. Her breath started to come quicker, and her fingers tangled into my hair. Moving my mouth up again, I ran my tongue along her lips.  
As she tried to move my lips to hers again, I laughed, sitting up. She tried to move with me, but I pulled away. She pouted, and I laughed.  
"I love you." I pressed my forehead against hers as I pulled her upright.  
"I love you too. And -" She paused. "I'm sorry."  
I sighed. "Stop blaming yourself, Serena! It's not your fault!"  
She laughed, poking her tongue out. "Fine, I'll stop blaming myself... But that doesn't mean I'm not an idiot."  
I grinned. "Yeah, you're an idiot, but you're my idiot."  
She laughed. Impulsively, she pulled me back down, overwhelming me with her passion. For a few moments, I just kissed her back. Then I recovered myself, pulling away gently.  
"I know you never want to let me go, beautiful, but I have to go do something."  
She propped herself up on her elbows underneath me, and I could tell she wanted me to stay. "What do you have to do?" Her voice was casual, but I could hear the panic barely concealed.  
I held her face protectively, reassuringly. "I... I can't tell you. But it's going to help you."  
I could hear suspicious muttering coming from her ears, but she ignored him, instead looking into my eyes.  
Finally she sighed. "Sine, go then. But come back quickly."  
I laughed, and kissed her once more. "I'll be back soon, I promise you. But please, you be safe. And... have a shower."  
"Is that your way of telling me I smell?"  
I laughed, rolling off the bed. "I'll be back before you know it."_  
_As I closed the door behind me, I looked back at her figure, cross-legged and confused on the bed.__  
__As soon as I was out of the house, I broke into a run. I could feel my leg muscles rippling as I pulled myself faster. Wanting that extra edge, I forced myself to shimmer, to blend in with the shadows.__  
__When my limbs were blurred and my shadow was gone, I sped up, until every landmark blurred into one. Quickly, I reached my garage. I raced inside, my motorbike just waiting for me. I hurriedly quieted the engine and flowed my energy into the bike. After a few strained moments, the planes of the bike were blurred and shimmering. Not wasting any time, I leapt on the bike, kicking it to a start in the same moment. Wrenching down in the throttle, I manoeuvred it to the door and let it fly._  
**_HAMISH_**_**  
**_


	16. Chapter 16

_I reached the outskirts of the town quickly, and as I started to see the first buildings, I withdrew the special energy that hid me from the rest of the world. The engine was still muted, but I had no time to fix that.__  
__I slowed to a speed that wouldn't get me arrested, pushing the very boundaries of the speed limit, and returned to the police station.___

_My helmet still on, I raced into the police station. I skidded to a stop as the image of the person waiting at the desk registered in my brain. Exasperatedly, I flopped into a chair, waiting while the woman chatted to the receptionist.__  
__Finally, the receptionist noticed me.__  
__"Oh, hello there! Do you need something?"__  
__Edgily, I jumped up. "Yes please; I need to talk to the officer investigating the Sutherland murders?"__  
__She was slightly flustered by my urgent tone. "Uh... Oh, just go through to his office, directly behind you."__  
__Without another word, I spun around and marched towards the office door. I rapped on the door with my knuckles, and entered the moment I heard the officer's voice.__  
__"Come in," he called.__  
__I walked immediately to his desk. He looked taken aback by my attitude, but I just started talking.__  
__"I have information about the Sutherland murders."__  
__He raised his eyebrows. "Take a seat."__  
__Without pausing, I launched into my story.__  
__"To start with, I know the murderers first name is Fred. I know how to get to the shed he's based in. And he... He got a hostage of his to insert microphone-speakers into Serena Sutherland's ears - he talks to her through them, and he hears almost everything. That's why none of us could risk telling you everything - if he knew we'd spilled, he would kill the hostage, or some other member of Serena's family. But... I had to help Serena. She's in and I don't like seeing her like this. He never leaves her alone, and I hate it. Please, can you help her? Please!"__  
__He blinked. "Er... Well, um, thank you for this information. I'm sure it will help in our investigation."__  
__He didn't mention Serena. "But... but what about Serena?"__  
__He looked uncomfortable. "Well, uh, you see..."__  
__"Look," I interrupted rudely. "Here's the deal. If you don't help Serena, I won't help you. I'll tell Fred that you're looking for him, and I told you his name, and then he'll kill someone else, probably me. Is that clear?"__  
__He frowned, probably because I was making the rules, but he obviously understood. "Fine, I'll talk to my boss and see what I can do. If you could just wait in the waiting room..."___

_I flew home on the bike, my spirits soaring. The police had agreed to operate on Serena as soon as possible, and they had agreed to my terms on finding his hide-out. The paddocks flew by as I rode at three times the speed limit, rushing back home to my girl._  
**_SERENA_**_****_

_I had taken Hamish's advice, and climbed into the warm shower. I tried to relax, using the steam to blank out my mind. But every time I'd just gotten calm, a memory flitted into my mind like an annoying fly. And every time, shudders started shaking my whole body, and nagging worries filled my head. What if he'd changed his mind, what if he'd run off? And Fred... he knew where we lived - what if he'd caught Hamish?__  
__I gave up on the shower quickly, clambering out into the humid air. Trying not to hyperventilate, I brushed my hair until it was completely dry, falling gently in soft curls. I then made my bed, pulling the blankets straight and smoothing out the wrinkles. Chewing my lip, I moved from activity to activity - refolding my clothes and placing them in the cupboard, rearranging the things on my dresser.__  
__Unable to stand it, I glanced up to the clock on my wall. It had only been 40 minutes since Hamish had left.__  
__"Gah!" I flung myself on my neatly-made bed, frustrated. I had a life _before_ Hamish, why couldn't I have one now?  
Because Hamish _is_ your life now, the voice in my head whispered.  
But so is Sam, I countered. It's not _all_ about Hamish.  
But if Sam died, you could still be happy with Hamish, it retaliated. If Hamish died, it'd be worse than when Mara died.  
I cringed at the memories. In the back of my mind, I knew that the truth. Painful and cruel as it be, Hamish was more important than Sam. But Sam was still the second most important part of my life now.  
Frowning at this realisation, I rolled over, staring at the roof. Why did love overrule family ties? It was just unfair. I _wanted_ to be able to survive without Hamish, I really did. I _wanted_ to need Sam more than anyone else, more than life. But it wasn't like that. Love broke all rules, cancelled out all other bonds.  
"Serena?" His quiet voice sent a jolt of electric energy through me. I flung myself across the room and into his arms before he'd finished the word. He laughed softly, and I felt his lips press into my hair.  
"I missed you," I mumbled into his shirt.  
He lifted my face gently. "I missed you too, beautiful." I smiled at the naked honesty in his words. He continued slowly, "Serena... Do you trust me?"  
I frowned slightly, confused. "With my life," I vowed, my promised slightly marred by my confusion.  
"Good." His voice was dead serious. I cocked my head, about to ask, but he pressed his fingers to my lips with a smile. "Don't worry. I promise, I didn't mean anything by it." His tone was clear, honest, but his eyes conveyed something different. I could feel panic mixed with suspicion on my face, and he sighed. Motioning towards my ears, he made a questioning gesture with his hands. Is Fred there, he was asking.  
I nodded, understanding his actions. He rolled his eyes over-exaggeratedly, glad I'd finally caught on. He led me over to the bed, taking my notepad off of the dresser.  
'_I know you probably didn't want me to do this, but I went to the police,' he wrote. 'I told them about your ears, and they agreed to help you as long as I tell them how to get to Fred's shed afterwards. I want to get you into town as soon as possible._'  
He looked up at me apologetically, and I took the pen off him.  
'_Can we go now?_' I wrote. He grinned, kissing me on the forehead. I curled one arm around his waist, and took him to Sam's room.  
"Sam?" I knocked softly on his open door. He was listening to music on the bed. I ignored the few signs of Mara still scattered around the room, and walked directly to my brother, pulling out his earphones. He looked up indignantly, but I didn't give him a chance to talk.  
"Sam, Hamish and I are going into town. If Aunt Gertrude comes back, can you tell her so she doesn't worry?"  
He looked at Hamish's hand on my waist suspiciously, but one glance at my face made him nod reluctantly. I grinned at him, leaning over to hug him awkwardly. He smiled back at as I turned around, pulling Hamish out the door with me.  
He laughed. "Where are you rushing to?"  
I turned my head back to grin at him. "I'm rushing to get my arms around you for the whole ride into town."  
He laughed louder, pulling my hand back so he could grasp me in his arms. "You do know you can do that any time you want."  
I opened my mouth to give him a witty remark, but he scooped me up into his arms, leaving me breathless.  
Cheekily, he poked his tongue out at me, then swiftly carried me out of the house. Once we were clear of the building, he started to run, his smooth gait rocking me like a lullaby. I was oblivious to the biting wind, just happy to curl up in his arms._

All too soon, we reached the garage. Barely pausing, he sat me down on the seat of the bike gently than rushed off to get the helmets. Before fastening one on my head, he slipped his jumper over his head and pulled it over mine.  
He laughed at my indignant expression. "I don't want you to get cold."  
I smiled reluctantly. If he wanted to freeze so I could be warm, I'd let him. He grinned, and clambered onto the bike in front of me.  
"Hold on," he warned. Grinning to myself, I fastened my arms around his waist, pulling myself towards him. He laughed; the sound echoed in his helmet. I liked the feeling his body made when he laughed.  
Still chuckling, he kicked the bike to a start, revving it underneath me.  
"Ready?" I could hear the challenge in his voice.  
I shoved him in the ribs. "Ready for anything."  
He turned his head to waggle his eyebrows at me. "I hope you mean that!"  
With that, he wrenched on the handlebars, and we flew out the door.  
_Classical music filled my ears, not letting any other sound through. The doctors stood in front of me, writing on a whiteboard they had wheeled in beside them.__  
__'We're going to put you to sleep, just to make it easier for you. We'll keep the music playing beside your ears to block out any sounds that might get through. Once we get them out, the police are going to disable the microphones but keep them for evidence.'__  
__The police then took over. 'Once the microphones are out of your ears, Hamish will take us to find the murderer.'__  
__I frowned, motioning for them to give me the pen. 'I'm coming with you,' I wrote. They shook their heads, but I continued stubbornly. 'You have to take me. I need to see his face. I need to know it's him.'__  
__They sighed, but didn't argue. Triumphantly, I grinned, and the doctors reclaimed the pen. 'Are you ready now, Serena?' I nodded, the smile fading from my face. Biting my lip nervously, I clambered onto the bed they had wheeled in beside me. I saw the doctor approach me with a needle, a fake smile plastered onto his lips. I felt a prick, then a numbing cold spread along my veins.__  
__And then I blacked out.___

_"Serena? Beautiful? Come on gorgeous, wake up..." My eyelids fluttered to reveal a blur of lights. Slowly, I focused on the image of Hamish's sweet face. My heart thumped, and he grinned. "Oh, finally, Sleeping Beauty awakes!"__  
__I stuck my tongue out at him, sitting up. Immediately, the room swirled, and I collapsed back down.__  
__Hamish caught me instantaneously, pulling me upright gently. He held me up while I swayed drunkenly, until the room finally stilled.__  
__I smiled weakly. "I've never been good with drugs." He laughed softly, brushing loose hairs off my sweaty face.__  
__Then he frowned. "Are you sure you want to come with us to find Fred?" His tone was worried. Are you sure you're up to it?"__  
__I rolled my eyes. "I'm right as rain," I said dryly.__  
__He smiled at my stubbornness, shaking his head. I just grinned. Using his arms to steady myself, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. As he jumped up beside me, I used my free hand to rub my ears. I felt a few small stitches at the back of my ear, but it was otherwise normal. There was no crackling, or swearing, or laughter.__  
__I was rapt. I turned my face to Hamish's, grinning. He laughed. "Yes, honey. You're free."__  
__I grinned. "Freedom is sweet."__  
__He rolled his eyes, scooping me up off the bed. "Well, missy," he said casually as he carried me out to the waiting room. "If you're set on coming with us..."__  
__I rubbed my head against his chest like a cat. "Well, as long as you're going..."__  
__He laughed. The police looked up as we walked in. Ignoring their stares, Hamish carried me over to the chairs. After setting me down, he spoke to the police.__  
__"She's fine, just a little woozy from the anaesthetic."__  
__One policeman stood up, nodding curtly to the two beside him. They stood up as well, hands on their guns. "Let's go then."_  
_My eyes were locked on the tin of the shed. It seemed fitting. Tin, for the tin man, who, like Fred, had no heart. But at least the Tin Man _wanted_ one.  
Shivering, I clutched Hamish's hand tighter. Our feet made barely a sound as we walked towards his shed. My lip shook, and I felt Hamish's worried gaze on me. He hadn't wanted me to come, he wanted me to stay behind and wait patiently. But I wasn't going to be the safe one, waiting for the prince to save the day and swoop her off her feet. I was going to be the prince, I wanted to save the day. That was something Hamish couldn't comprehend, but, as usual, he let me have my way – to an extent.  
He was going in with the police, to find (and hopefully capture) Fred. But I, the weak little princess, had to 'stay outside and keep watch' and 'call for help if we don't come back'. What sort of comfort was that? Especially for a grief-stricken, love-sick girl like me.  
My heart struggled to keep pumping as I saw Hamish walk into the shed. I sank to the cold ground, letting the last rays of the sun caress me, before they, too, left me. I struggled not to hyperventilate.  
Okay, so I was nowhere near the strong prince I wanted to be, or even the bachelor princess that was second on the list.  
No, I was a miserable, wimpy, love-sick child, waiting for her prince to return so her body could function again.  
I was useless on my own. A complete failure. My heart was wrenching towards my beloved, but I could not follow. I had strict orders.  
Pouting, I started to twiddle my thumbs. I hated being bossed around. What was I supposed to do until they got back? Twiddling my thumbs wasn't cracking up as all it was supposed to be.  
Exasperatedly, I flung my hands on the ground, looking up instead at the sky. To my surprise, there was nothing. No sun, no moon, no stars. Just clouds – a grey blanket covering the earth. It was an extension of my feelings – an emptiness, only able to be filled by one presence.  
With a sigh, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes._

"Serena? Honey? Serena... if you don't sleep tonight, I'll know why..." As I sat up with a shock, I heard Hamish sigh. "Haven't you been sleeping well?"  
I laughed without humour. "What do you think?"  
He smiled and scootched over on the car seat to wrap his arms around me. "It's okay, honey. We caught Fred. He's... he's in the other car. Do you... want to see him?"  
I chewed my lip, habit I really should quit before it got painful. "I... Okay."  
"You don't have to if you don't want to..." I could tell he didn't want me anywhere the psychopath.  
I shook my head stubbornly. "I have to see with my own eyes. I have to know he's really gone."

Hamish pulled me out of the car gently. "Now... are you sure_?"I rolled my eyes at him, not bothering with an answer. He sighed and walked forward, his hand on the small of my back."Alright, but I'm coming with you."  
I scowled, turning to glare at him. He just smirked at me, and I didn't argue._  
_My leg jerked up and down at lightning speed, and my sweaty fingers laced and unlaced as we waited. Hamish's whole body was radiating unhappiness, but I was set. Even though I was half-scared to death, the other half of me was curious. Through my ears, I had noticed a cowardice in Fred, a simplicity that didn't give him the personality of a killer. With some of the things he'd said, it was hard to believe he was the man who had murdered at least 8 people in cold blood.__  
__I heard footsteps, and looked up to see the two policemen who had taken Fred walk out.__  
__"Now, Serena, are you _positive_ you want to see him?" The tone of his voice made it obvious that he thought I was crazy.  
"Yes." My voice was hard. I was sick of people asking that question. "I am absolutely, positively sure, and I'm NOT going to change my mind!"  
They sighed, but did not argue further. Turning swiftly, they walked back through the door they had just entered by. Hamish and I scrabbled to our feet and followed quickly._

The hallway leading towards the cell was dark and cold. Shudders ran down my spine, and Hamish pulled me in closer towards his body. His eyes were hard, and it was easy to see how uncomfortable he was. I rubbed the top of my head against his chin in an attempt to comfort him. He looked down at me and smiled, but the hard edge never left his eyes. I sighed, but gave up. He did_ have good reason to be uneasy – every step we took brought us closer to the crazed killer who had murdered both our families.  
Finally, the officer ahead of us stopped. He said a few quiet words to the officer guarding the cell, who then ushered us forward. My heart thumping, I walked forward. Part of me yearned to put a face to the name, but the sane part was telling me to run away, far away.  
Of course, I ignored the sane part, my neck straining forward as I peered into the cell. I thought I could see a dark figure in the far corner, and I leaned closer.  
Hamish's restraining arms pulled me back just as the dark figure lurched forward. He stretched his arms through the bars, using the metal poles to hold himself up.  
"Serena..." he drawled, an unsettling grin on his face. "How kind of you to come and visit me. And Hamish too!"  
I didn't answer, staring at his face. His skin was pale under the dirt and stubble, and his hair hung lank in greasy matts around his face. His ears were installed with meta pieces, which I guessed were his microphones, but his hung from his earlobes like over-sized earrings.  
He kept grinning at me with that unnerving smile, and I looked away, choosing instead to bury my face in Hamish's chest.  
He rubbed my back gently. "Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.  
Before I could answer, Fred jumped in. "Oh, no, why don't you stay for a while? We could have a lovely chat..."  
I glanced up to glare at him, but immediately jerked back, my hand flying to my mouth. His dark blue eyes were boring into mine, and I instinctively cringed away. They were cold, unnatural, and it was easy to see how he'd managed to pull off eight murders. There was no hint of compassion in those eyes, no hint of shame or regret.  
Hamish took one look at my face and pulled me away. As I stumbled along, I could hear Fred's maniacal laughter echoing down the passage. Hamish pulled me faster, but his laughter didn't fade.  
When we finally reached the warmth of the waiting area, I realised I was sobbing. I gulped them down, trying to control myself. There was no need to be so upset.  
But even when I'd calmed down enough to breathe normally, I could still see his cold eyes, could still hear his crazed laughter.  
Suddenly, I realised a police officer was speaking, and struggled to listen.  
"- and there will always be an officer guarding him until we can get him into a court trial."  
Hamish was nodding. "And how long will it be until then?"  
The man shrugged. "I'm not sure – it could be anything from one month to two years. But you don't need to worry. He'll be under close watch constantly."  
I could tell Hamish wasn't happy with that – he wanted Fred out of our lives as soon as possible. But he didn't convey this to the police, instead smiling calmly. "Well, I thank you sincerely. Are Serena and I allowed to leave now?"  
The officer nodded. "Feel free – but we won't hesitate to contact you if anything new comes up."  
Hamish nodded again, pulling me towards the door as he spoke. "Thank you again for your help."  
_


	17. Chapter 17

_As I climbed onto his bike, I saw him eyeing me warily. I frowned at him.  
"What?"  
When I spoke, he relaxed his features into a smile. "Oh, nothing... But... Are you alright?"  
I laughed. It was so like him to worry. "I'm fine – don't worry about me."  
He wasn't convinced. "Then why were you crying?" he challenged.  
"He startled me – I looked up and the only thing I see is a pair of unfeeling killer's eyes. I'm really fine."  
He sighed, but didn't push it. Clambering onto the bike ahead of me, he started it up. The cool nighttime wind caressing us, we flew towards home._  
_Sam was having dinner when we got home. He looked up as we walked in, his face neutral. But when I grinned at him, he grudgingly smiled back.__  
__While Hamish got us something to eat, I walked over to Sam and ruffled his hair. "Hey," I greeted him. "Any messages?"__  
__He smacked my hand away with a laugh. "Yeah, Aunt Gertrude rang - her and Jeremy are staying in town to be near Uncle Greg. She said she'll call us tomorrow if she's won't be home."__  
__I smiled, my hand reaching towards his hair again. He dodged it and went for a stomach jab. I caught his hand and pulled him up with it. Without giving him a chance to protest, I threw him over my shoulder and ran towards the lounge room. Laughing, he pummelled my back with his fists. Roughly, I threw him on the couch, then reached in with an evil grin and waggling fingers.___

_I didn't hear Hamish enter over our squeals of laughter. Sam was sitting on my stomach, and he was tickling me ruthlessly, warding off each flying hand with a quick slap.__  
__Hamish cleared his throat, looking embarrassed, and I used the distraction to throw Sam off of me. I grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back, sitting on him so he couldn't move.__  
__"Do you give in?" I asked cheekily.__  
__"No," he laughed breathlessly, wriggling underneath me. "But I call a truce."__  
__Laughing as well, I stood up, tugging him up with me. "Okay, truce." We shook hands on it, then I looked over at Hamish. He looked awkward, as if he was intruding on a personal moment. I laughed, skipping over to his side.__  
__"Hi," I giggled, sticking my tongue out.__  
__He smiled back tentatively. "Uh... Food's ready." His confusion made it sound like a question.__  
__I smiled, leaning up to kiss his lips. "You idiot," I said affectionately. "Sam and I do that all the time. Don't be so uncomfortable!" He relaxed immediately, but I thought I could see a trace of wistfulness in his eyes. Trying to distract him, I put my arm around his waist, and, poking my tongue out at Sam, led him back to the kitchen. "And food sounds good."__  
__It worked - he laughed, putting his arms around me and hugging me. "Then let's eat."_  
_It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that I started dozing off. In the end, I fell asleep in Hamish's arms. Even though I tried to concentrate on his body beside mine, all I could think of was Fred - his cold-blooded eyes. his disconcerting smile. So I probably shouldn't have been surprised about the fact that I had a 'ghost dream' about him - but I was.__  
__In my dream, I was back outside his cell. I could see his figure lurking in the shadows at the back of the cell. The officer on duty was young, probably in his early twenties. At first he started pacing, but soon gave that up. In the end, he just sat down, leaning against the stone wall. For a while, his eyes gazed intently into the cell, but he gave that up too.__  
__Soon, is body began to relax. I could see the boredom written on his face, plain as day.__  
__A movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. My head jerked around so I could watch the cell. At the back of the small space, I could see Fred moving. He seemed to be pulling on something on the wall.__  
__I inched closer, trying to see. With a resounding crack, whatever Fred was tugging on broke off.__  
__The sound must have alerted the guard; he stood up and walked towards the cell.__  
__"No... Don't, please! He'll kill you!" I tried to push against his chest, but my hands had no substance. I just fell straight through his body. Righting myself quickly, I turned around, watching him peer through the bars nervously.__  
__With a thud, something crashed against the bars. It was only when a crude stone knife was pressed against the officer's throat that I realised it was Fred. I tried to pull my eyes away, but I couldn't. I watched numbly as Fred slit the young officer's throat.__  
__"I _am_ sorry," he laughed. "I usually do the torturing while you're still alive. But I guess you're lucky - I just need your keys." Roughly, he shoved the carcass away, the keys dangling in his bloody hands. Barely pausing, he inserted all the keys into the lock until he found the one that unlocked his cell. With that same disconcerting grin, he walked over to the dead officer. Using the stone shard again, he gouged out the young man's eyes. A rough edge on the stone caught the second eye, and a burst of liquid squirted out, leaving the eyeball deflated. I felt the bile rise up in my throat, and yet I still couldn't turn away.  
His tongue poking out of the side of his mouth, he very carefully began carving letters into the officer's forehead.  
When he stood up, I took a look at what he'd written, and shuddered.  
Looking straight at me, he laughed. "Yes, I will have revenge. You will not get away with this." His words just washed over me; my eyes were locked on the dead policeman. I knew that the image of his shocked face would forever stay in my memories. The words, _'I wILL HAVe reVeNge'_ seemed to glow, commanding my attention.  
Suddenly my gaze was broken, as Fred pulled the body backwards, into the cell. Slamming the door shut, he mashed the stone piece into the keyhole.  
When he was satisfied that it was impossible to force in a key, he stepped back and headed towards to hallway.  
Just before he left my sight, he turned around, and his eerie eyes bored into mine. A small growl erupted from between his teeth, before he swung around and loped out of my view. The last thing I heard before I descended into blackness was his maniacal laughter, echoing in my ears._

All I could see was a pair of cold blue eyes, all I could hear was metallic laughter. I was held down by cold hands, their grip as strong as steel. The breath whoosh_ed out of my lungs as I was thrown against a wall. One hand was pressed against my chest while another held a knife to my throat. As the cold metal was pressed harder against my skin. I could feel my air cutting off. I tried to push away, but I was paralysed, I couldn't move..._  
_With a cry, I wrenched my eyes open, finally escaping from the terror in my dreams. My hands searched the blankets for Hamish, to no avail.__  
__"Hamish?" The panic was unmistakeable in my voice. "_Hamish_?!"  
I heard his footsteps echoing on the tiles as he ran through the bathroom towards me.  
Until the moment I saw him framed in the doorway, I hadn't been able to breathe. Once my frantic eyes found his worried face, I let out a shaky breath. He came over to the bed and wrapped his arms around me.  
"I'm sorry if I frightened you. I was talking to Sam. Are you okay?"  
I shook my head quickly, the water welling up in my eyes. I started hyperventilating.  
"Serena? Honey? Rena, what's wrong?" His voice was just too worried; I broke down and started sobbing into his chest. It seemed he was destined to be my shoulder to cry on.  
Extremely worried now, Hamish rubbed my back. "What is it, what's wrong?" he chanted, the naked panic crystal clear in his voice.  
Finally I calmed down, and Hamish rocked me backwards and forwards until I looked up at him and began to speak.  
"Hamish - we failed. He's going to get away."  
He looked confused. "Who?"  
"Fred, he's going to escape!" I said impatiently.  
His mouth opened, and his eyes widened. But after a moment, his face became clear again. "Hold on, hon, how did you find out this? How do you know it's true?"  
I concentrated on breathing normally for a moment, then looked into his confused eyes. "Because I had a dream. A ghost dream. But I was the ghost. I know it's real, it's happened before!"  
His voice was sharper, but the pain was definitely resurfacing. "When?"  
"With Sam," I answered, searching for the memory. "The night you stayed for dinner... I went to bed, and I was thinking - no wishing - for Sam. I really, _really_ needed to see him. So then it was like a ghost dream, but _I_ was the ghost. I talked to Sam, and he could see and hear and feel me. That's how he knew your name," I inserted spontaneously. I was using anything I could to make him believe me. "I know it's true, I know it!"  
He sensed a bout of hysteria coming on, and hurried to change the subject. "Okay, I believe you. Can you tell me what you saw in this dream? About... about Fred?"  
I took a deep breath, trying to bury the panic I could feel rising. "Um... Well, I was outside his cell, and there was a guard on duty. He was really young, probably in his early twenties. He got bored, and started to relax. Then Fred..." I paused unsure. After gathering my thought, I spoke up again, my voice softer than before. "I think he broke a rock from the wall to use as a knife - the noise caught the attention of the officer. He went over to the cell, and Fred grabbed him. He killed the officer, and stole his keys. Then, on the officer's forehead, he wrote, 'I will have revenge'. When I read that, he knew I was there, he could see me. Before he left, he told me that... that I wouldn't get away with it." I couldn't hold back the panic now, and fresh tears began running down my cheeks. "We failed, Hamish, I repeated. "He's going to get away. He's going to escape. We aren't safe, nobody here's safe. He will get his revenge, I know he will!"  
Hamish pulled me in tight, stroking my hair. "It's okay, Serena. The police won't let him get away, they'll catch him again." I could tell he didn't really believe what he was saying.  
"He won't let himself be caught again that easily," I argued. "He'll be more careful."  
"I'm sure the police won't even let him out of the station," he disagreed, but his tone of voice contradicted his words. Part of me felt smug because I was right, but most of me was scared. No, not scared - petrified.  
I could feel the colour leech away from my skin as I looked up at him. "Hamish - what are we going to do?" My voice was pleading, the voice of a scared child.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annie walk past quickly, then backtrack and look at us. I could tell what she was seeing - a panic-stricken Serena staring at a terrified Hamish. I knew she was worried, for both of us, and confused. I turned my head towards her, and I saw her eyes widen in what was probably fear.  
Spontaneously, I raised one hand and beckoned for her to come in. Hamish shot me an incredulous and slightly worried look, but I ignored him. Suspiciously, Annie walked in. Unsure of whether I was doing the right thing, I took a deep breath.  
"Annie - the man that tried to kill your father is also the man who murdered my family. Yesterday, the police arrested him, but he escaped. Please, _please_ be careful. He'll probably come here, try and kill the rest of my family. It would be safer for everyone if you all stayed out of the house as much as possible."  
Annie nodded absent-mindedly, her eyes locked on Hamish. I sighed. "That's all, Annie. You can go now." She walked out backwards, unwilling to tear her eyes from Hamish. I could understand - he _was_ gorgeous - but couldn't she tell he was _mine_?  
I rolled my eyes, looking back at Hamish. "I think I have competition for your love."  
He grinned. "Annie is nowhere near being considered competition." I smiled, and he pressed his lips to mine for a brief second. When I opened my eyes again, his sweet face was in front of mine. "So... Why did you tell Annie about Fred? And why does everyone have to stay out of the house?" He tried to keep his voice casual, but I could hear the confusion behind the seemingly innocent words.  
"He's going to come here to look for us, to get his revenge," I explained. "He'll kill anyone in his way. I'd much rather everyone get out than be killed."  
He grimaced. "You do realise that you very nearly revealed too much? Even now, she might realise how involved we are with this man."  
I grinned. "Don't be ridiculous - she won't suspect a thing. She was too busy staring at you to really take much in. I'm pretty all she'll be able to remember is that a man is going to kill us if we don't stay away. She doesn't have a big enough brain capacity to concentrate on you and something else. No one does," I added quickly. I wasn't picking at Annie's mental abilities.  
He was quiet for a moment while he thought. "So... Would my house be safe?"  
I laughed. "Yes, your house is perfectly safe." He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I laughed harder. Jumping off the bed, he swept me up into his arms, and my laughter cut short. I glared at him, but he just rolled his eyes and smirked. Holding me tight, he carried me out of the house, the midday sun warm on our skin._  
_The first thing I noticed about his room was the colours - the walls were solid black while the carpet was a thick, creamy white. In my opinion, they definitely didn't match his sweet, loving personality.__  
__Gently, he sat me down in the middle of his bed. I immediately sank into the soft mattress, the woollen blankets enveloping me in a cloud of white. Clambering towards the edge, I ignored his laughter and indignantly sat on the floor. The carpet was soft enough.__  
__Once I was comfortable, I took a better look around. Three of the walls were covered with ebony bookshelves (with space for the door, of course), and the last wall held a window and a long black desk. The desk held mainly schoolbooks.__  
__I frowned. Why were there schoolbooks on his desk when he seemingly spent all his time at home?__  
__"Don't you go to school?"__  
__He laughed, fingers flying as they searched the shelves. "No, we're all home-schooled in this house. It's just easier, because we live so far from town." He sounded as if my question amused him, and I wondered why.__  
__Finally his fingers sopped on a thick book, tall, and bound in brown leather. He pulled it out gently, and with a quick flick, he opened it at the middle. To my surprise, the pages were blank, and a hollowed out rectangle in the centre housed a small, faded red book. I gazed at it, confused, as Hamish brought it over. With a sigh, he sat down next to me and handed me the book.__  
__I understood when I opened it - it was a photo album, of him and his family. I looked up at his face. His expression was indecipherable. Biting my lip, looked down at the page again. The front cover held a photo of his entire family, surrounded by smaller photos of each of them by themselves. I focused on Hamish's picture - his chubby, boyish face with a cheeky grin. Turning the page, I found a double page filled with pictures of him and Alex. Hamish and Alex were just as close as Sam and I.__  
__As I flicked through the pages, I could tell how much Hamish loved his family. As the photos started getting more recent, I glanced up at Hamish a few times. The first time I looked up, he was intently studying the wall. I frowned slightly - why wouldn't he let the emotion show? - and looked back at the book.__  
__The next time I looked up, he was gazing at me curiously. I flinched, but held his gaze for a moment.__  
__Unable to understand his expression, I returned to the solace of the album.__  
__All too soon, I reached the last full page of the book. As I went to close the cover, a small photo fluttered out. Blushing, I reached out to pick it up. As soon as my fingers brushed the paper, I knew it was old.__  
__With a shock that felt like I was being electrocuted, I was wrenched back in time. I heard Hamish cry out, but I couldn't escape.__  
__I was standing behind an old camera. In the frame was a graduation class, standing in front of a school. A sign on the wall above the door read, _Stoneyfod University, est. 1876_. A jolt of recognition ran through me. That was where my mother went to school!  
Then the image in the camera floated by, and I was at a wedding. A group of people were posing. When the camera clicked, I recognised their faces.  
In a billowing wedding gown, my mother had her arms wrapped around my smiling father. Beside my mother, in a long sapphire dress, stood Linda.  
The man beside her was holding her tight, with a joyful smile.  
As I was wrenched back to Hamish's room, I could feel myself screaming.  
Hamish pulled me to his chest, his tone wild with worry. "Serena! What happened?"  
I tried to suck in a breath and jerked my hand away from the photo. Hamish held me while I tried to even out my breathing, rocking me backwards and forwards.  
Finally I managed to calm down, and I raised my head, pulling away from Hamish. He watched me with worried eyes, but stayed silent. He knew I'd explain in my own time.  
"Open the photo." My voice was dull, none of the panic leaking through.. Obediently, he picked up the photo and gently pulled it open. "The man with your mother. Look at his face."  
I didn't look at the photo. Instead I watched Hamish's face.  
I knew what he'd be seeing. His brain would supply the images. Replace the bright, excited eyes with a cold, calculating menace. Change the happy smile to an evil leer. Cover the face with dirt. Twist his neat hair into long, greasy dreadlocks.  
"Fred." His voice was low, a mixture of loathing and confusion. "What the _hell_ is Fred doing with his arms around my mother?!" Disgusted and thoroughly mystified, he flung the photo away. He made a face and raised his eyes to mine. "What does this mean?"  
I leaned forward to wrap my arms around him. "I don't know. But we've got to find out."_


End file.
